Hidden Spirits: Village Hunting & Side Effect
by climax
Summary: Scroll 9: The First Phase of Chuunin Exam! The Battle of Cook! - Let's see how our ninjas deal with this!
1. Default Chapter

**#Hidden Spirits: Village Hunting & Side Effect#   
****A Naruto Fan-fiction -- Sequel from 'Hidden Spirits'   
****By: _Climax_**

**Disclaimer for ALL chapters: Do not and never own Naruto. Except this story plot, idea, and my own characters I create on this story.**

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Prologue: Back to Konoha   
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Recap (and summary):   
_Tsunade found two mysterious scrolls at the top shelf of the library at Hokage's Tower. It suspected to be Shodai-sama's diary. But not long after she figured how to open the scrolls, three mysterious figures stole it. Right after that, Naruto and Sasuke have their bodies switched by the same people. They have time to panic of course. But not long the figures decided to switch their body back even there were some consequences by doing it right after the switch. And the two genins woke up in their place with no memories about it. They were no aware for the consequences they were going to face as they started to live their day again. At the same time, the figures lost the scrolls they stole. And the scroll fell into the hands of the bad guys seemingly. What kind of consequences Naruto and Sasuke were going to face? And what are the contents of the scrolls? _

:-:-:-:-:-:

"Are you sure about this? Ero Sennin?" asked Naruto as he and Jiraiya walked towards Konoha.

Three years. Three years since Sasuke's departure. And those three years do a LOT to Naruto. He was no longer has his baby fat and (a little) chubby cheeks. He was a slim fifteen year old teenage boy and almost as pretty as Sasuke to some others taste. The sennin had been forbidding him to consume ramen or some high fat foods and recommending -I mean- forcing him to eat more fruits and vegetables for his health. Surely he knew that Naruto hates die by sickness. His voice was heavier a bit. But it still as loud as always it would be of course. The blonde's round face sharpen a bit due his maturity and his hair style was more and more similar to the Yondaime's according to Jiraiya's comment. And his style of clothes improved. He still wearing orange combined with blue things, but the clothes' shapes were more fashionable now. He wears orange V-neck, sleeveless t-shirt with a fishnet shirt under it and a pair of blue shorts that covered his knees. He wears blue hand-band to balance his almost bare hands. Three things that didn't and won't change were his whiskers, his forehead protector that still tied above his forehead and his blue eyes that radiating confidence, carefree, and many positive things.

Jiraiya stared at Naruto with an annoyed expression. Why, even after three years together with him, the blonde boy still couldn't believe his information completely? "Of course I'm sure. How many times I told you to not underestimate my information network?"

Naruto had a thoughtful expression for a second then answered, "I gave up counting at the 78th, but I'm sure that you told it every time you tell something important to me." Naruto wasn't lying. He always used the 'are you sure' question to know and test if the information Jiraiya gave to him was something important. And Jiraiya knows that.

Jiraiya sighed. Is it the lacking of ramen or too many fruits and vegetables has done something to his brain? he asked in his heart mostly to himself. Yup, Naruto has grown into a smartass brat. Thanks to the full of vitamins and nutrition fruits and vegetables. The sad thing was he didn't use his intelligence to improve himself but to make some troubles to both Jiraiya and people around. Jiraiya discovered the culprit of the problems when Naruto did his twenty seventh troublemaking.

But this time, Jiraiya couldn't blame him for not believe his news. The supposed to be yearly chuunin exam was cancelled three times in three years during the crisis of the Konoha. And that chuunin exam was going to be held again in Konoha. But this time, the exam was no ordinary. The examiners were not only from Konoha. The other village sent their best chuunin or jounin to Konoha this time. This was because there were some rumors uprising. And those rumors said something like this: anybody beside Konoha genins would fail in the chuunin exams that held in Konoha. Of course, those rumors were no true. But they gave a great impact to other villages' genins. The genins became more unwilling to participate to the chuunin exam. The last record said: three from Sunagakure (Sand), ONE from Amegakure (Rain), NONE from Kusa (Grass), Taki (Waterfall), and Oto (Sound). What a fantastic record to see. Even the so great Godaime no Hokage (5th Hokage) blinked her eyes over and over again to make sure that she saw what she thought she saw. She even questioned her and the reporter's eyes health or was it a mere genjutsu to cheat her. But when she made sure that other people she what she thought she saw, she (had to) believed it. Like it or not. That's why she cancelled the three chuunin exams in three years.

The other villages' chuunin and jounin presence were mean to make the genins felt more safe and comfortable. But Jiraiya thought that the chuunin and jounin were there to see what their and others' village capable of.

But the thing that made Naruto unsure had to be the second news. The sennin got a unexpected information that Sasuke was going to participate the chuunin exam. And maybe was going to bring other Oto shinobi with him. What a mess it was going to be if the information leaked out.

And there was an information that Jiraiya decided to not to tell Naruto. One or two of his information tellers said that the Akatsuki was going to make a move at the chuunin exam. But the information tellers were not completely sure about it. So he decided to not to panic Naruto at the moment. Though he was unsure that Naruto didn't know about this since he told the boy that Akatsuki wasn't going to after him for three or four years at Konoha hospital three years ago.

While Jiraiya lost in his thought, Naruto saw a restaurant and a small casino across of it. His stomach growled loudly. Though went unnoticed by the sennin. Naruto smirked. Hmm... a restaurant and a casino. It fitted perfectly for him.

:-:-:-:-:-:   
_(Ten minutes later...)   
_:-:-:-:-:-:

"Hey, Naruto. There must be a small restaurant around here. How about if we take a break?" asked Jiraiya to the surprisingly silent Naruto.

No answer. Jiraiya lifted his eyebrows. It was unusual for the blonde to be silent. He tried once again.

"Don't worry. It's my treat!"

No answer. Again. This made Jiraiya more and more confused. Did he afraid if he forced him to eat fruit and vegetables?

"Oh, I got it! You don't want to eat fruit and vegetables? Fine! I won't force you! You can eat ramen if there is ramen at there!!"

Naruto kept silent. All right, this got Jiraiya's suspicion. _Something is fishy, here..._ he thought as he picked up a rock and threw it right to Naruto's head. At this level, he should be able to dodge it. But rather than dodge it, Naruto disappeared in a puff and smoke when the rock hit his skull. A kage bunshin (Shadow Clone).

"What?? When did he-??"

That brat Naruto!! He did this when the sennin lost in his thought for sure!! And Jiraiya went back to track Naruto...

:-:-:-:-:-:

"YATTA (YEAH)!! I WON AGAIN!!" yelled Naruto. Sounds of clapping hands and moans of disappointments could be heard after his yell. 24 winning from 24 gambling match. All of Naruto's challengers were really out of luck this day, to have one or more gambling match with the blonde. If there was a 'blonde nee-chan' (big sister) who was called The Legendary Sucker, then Naruto was a 'blonde otouto-chan' (little brother) who was called The Legendary Winner. He found his talent when he had a journey to search Tsunade three years ago. When Jiraiya asked people around the pachinko place, Naruto found a coin and inserted it to the machine. And he won many! Even the so great Jiraiya amazed that he could fill his toad wallet as full as before with just one coin.

"Wow! He won all those match!!", "What a lucky person!", "I wish I have a little piece of that kind of luck..." mumbles of amazed people could be heard clearly by Naruto. Then he decided to end his game here. He didn't want those losers have anymore shameful experience. He wanted to eat anyway. He started to pack all of his prized money.

But when he just about to leave...

"**NARUTO YOU BLASTED BRAT!!!** DIDN'T I TELL YOU ABOUT THREE NINJA TABOOS??!"

Jiraiya appeared along with his cursing and shouting.

Naruto's shout in his heart was: _'Oooppsss..!'_ but he tried to stay calm.

"Yes, you did. Woman, sake, and money, right? So what?" he asked.

Angry veins could easily be spotted at Jiraiya's head.

"So you mustn't do it! Taboos are here not to be break!! You are underage and you are gambling!! Do you want your life to be miserable like Tsunade??"

Naruto narrowed his eyes. Who was this perverted sennin that telling him to not to do three ninja taboos? This man may be older than him, but at least look at the facts.

"Ero sennin, if I remember correctly, YOU are the one who always, always, ALWAYS break those taboos only in ONE hour. So I don't expect to hear those advices from SOMEONE who always break those taboos. ANYWAY, don't you remember the _accident_ last month? You wasted all of our money for the sake of two of the taboos and thanks to my gambling skill; we were able to sleep under a hotel roof."

Heh. Good point, kid.

_Shit. He hit all those pretty buttons..._ cursed Jiraiya inwardly.

Seeing Jiraiya was taken aback by his paragraph of sentences, Naruto grinned wickedly. "So, ero sennin, do you let me gambling for next time, or should I blackmail you first?"

One thing Jiraiya knew, he fought a losing battle...

:-:-:-:-:-:

"I'm home!!" yelled Naruto. Well, he wasn't yelling to no one.

"Welcome back, Naruto nii-chan!!" chirped a happy girl's voice, Mayu.

Naruto stared at the younger girl in disbelief. "Wow... you sure grown a lot, Mayu..."

And what Naruto said was true. The cute and innocent looking little girl around Konohamaru ages he knew has turned into a pretty young lady. Her orange hair still able to reach her shoulder and tied into one pigtail. Her round and violet colored eyes were curved upward, shaping a beautiful pair of eyes. She was no longer wearing a kimono, she was wearing a simple black shirt with a sleeveless violet sweater above it. And a white skirt that reached her knees to complete her clothes set.

Mayu blushed at Naruto's comment. "Oh, really? You should see Konohamaru, too. He is more... handsome." She turned away to hid her blush after said that. Naruto decided to ignore it. Though it made him wonder what kind of human boy it could be Konohamaru transformed.

"Hey, did you remodel my apartment?" asked Naruto as he examined his apartment. Not that he hate it, it was just much more... neat and clean. Surprisingly, Mayu shook her head.

"No. Rhaera and I just clean it every two or three days..." explained the girl.

Naruto almost didn't believe it. So this was his apartment in clean version. He just need a **little** will to clean it every two or three days and here was his nice apartment.

"Speaking of the culprit, where's that green haired archer?" asked Naruto as he traced the apartment to search Rhaera's existence.

"He maybe practicing his taijutsu at the training field with three wooden logs..." answered Mayu. Once again, Naruto stared in disbelief.

"He... practicing-- **what**?" how the hell did that archer knew something called: TAIJUTSU??

"Taijutsu. He was graduated from ninja academy yesterday. With a lot of hard work of course, since he knew nothing except cooking and the art of archery..." explained Mayu.

Naruto was going to ask another question when Kakashi suddenly appeared between them with a puff of smoke.

"I actually hate interfere a lovely love scene, but my loudmouthed student is needed by the Hokage." Kakashi said with no tone and nose buried in his 'Icha Icha Violence' book. Very POLITE.

"Wha-! What 'love scene'??" stammered Mayu. Naruto, instead of yelling as loud as usual, mumbled dangerously to Kakashi.

"My dear teacher Kakashi, can't your sharingan see that I'm just arrived? And one thing, look at the person's eyes when you are talking. Not to a book. Or I swear I'll make you regret to have that book in your hands..." Naruto didn't threaten; just merely a warning to state his tired condition. And Kakashi got his message.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. But any of Hokage's order must be considered as a mission. So I must bring you to her no matter what lies ahead. Even if that means I must bring your corpse..." said Kakashi with a plain tone but a cheerful face. _Though I hope not..._ he added inwardly.

Not wanting to face a problem with a tired body, Naruto agreed.

"Fine, fine! But you must CARRY me to her. I don't want to walk, run, or jump. Because the thing that lies ahead is my tiredness..." the blonde sighed in frustration.

Kakashi sighed inwardly. A tired Naruto was a kicking-ass shinobi. Tsunade really call him up in a wonderful timing...

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End Prologue   
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Started on: November 17th 2004

Ended on: November 18th 2004

**PHEW!! o First chapter done! Hope you readers like it! Just one thing: English is never ever my native language! So spare me from the grammar or vocabulary judgment. I'm in a one week holiday (that ended on November 21th T.T) and currently high in writing spirit so I just need one day to finish one long chapter ;) .**

**FEED ME WITH _REVIEWS_!! No flame!**

**With a lot of love: climax**

**PS: my second Naruto fic, sequel from my first fic. For you guys who don't read it yet, you don't have to.**


	2. Scroll 1: Sasuke's Replacement in Team 7

**#Hidden Spirits: Village Hunting & Side Effect#  
****A Naruto Fan-fiction -- Sequel from 'Hidden Spirits'  
****By: _Climax_**

**Disclaimer for ALL chapters: Do not and never own Naruto. Except this story plot, idea, and my own characters I create on this story.**

**::- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -::  
**Scroll 1: Sasuke's Replacement in Team 7  
**::- - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - -::**

"You got to be kidding me, Tsunade-baba (granny)," growled Naruto. He was in Hokage's office, thanks to Kakashi's kindness to summon his faithful dogs for carried him. Tsunade stared Naruto in a mix of tiredness and stressfulness. Actually, she didn't want to deal with Naruto because she had just finished her deal with the _blasted-absorbing-mind-and-body-energy_ paper works. Her neck, back, and hands were aching now. Plus the fact of her brain was shouting for aspirin.

"I'm not kidding, Naruto. And don't address me with 'baba' title if you don't want me to address you with 'gaki' (kid) title. You and I know that you are a teen now, don't we?" said Tsunade based in fact.

Naruto frowned. "But-! To have a new teammate for the upcoming chuunin exam doesn't sound well at my ears!!"

Tsunade fought the urge to give the boy one or more pieces of her mind. But unfortunately, she was too tired to angry.

"It does for me. How come you and Sakura are going to participate in a chuunin exam if your team of three is incomplete?? I have talked this to Sakura and she agreed to have another teammate!!" the Godaime shout back in frustration, trying to make the loudmouthed idiot to understand.

Well, it was not that Naruto didn't understand, just didn't want to accept it in silent. How come the Godaime just replace Sasuke easily as if the spoiled brat of Uchiha was nothing but property?

"I know that, baba! I just don't like how easily you are going to replace Sasuke!! Beside, how can we have a well teamwork if we don't know anything about the person!! And the chuunin exam is no more then one week tomorrow!!" yelled Naruto furiously.

Tsunade's patient string snapped. She suddenly stood up, knocked back her chair. She gripped Naruto's shirt collar, pulled him up, and stared right into his eyes. Their faces were only centimeters range. "Then I return those words to you. How could you bring Sasuke's butt home in that one week?? We spent three years to track Orochimaru and we don't even found his smell!! And even if you find him, I bet you are died before you could persuade him!!"

"And I bet you are wrong!!" yelled Naruto back.

"…"

"…"

Both silenced for a moment.

After that, they both sighed tiredly and plopped back to their own respective chairs.

"I'm getting too old for this immature fight…" Tsunade mumbled as she rubbed her forehead.

"I'm getting too mature for this childish fight…" Naruto groaned as he used his hand to rake his blond hair.

"So? Who is my new teammate? I hope you didn't insert a bastard to balance my team like the chuunin and jounin teachers three years ago…" Naruto said half serious half joking. He was seriously didn't want to have any bastard he had to face. Sasuke alone was more than enough. He decided to make a joke to break the tension between Tsunade and him.

Tsunade grinned. "So Kakashi is right…" she mumbled, loud enough to Naruto for hear.

"Kakashi is right about what?" asked Naruto curiously. It was evident in his eyes that he smelled something fishy.

Tsunade's grin widened. "How about a bet, Naruto? If you yelling, shouting, screaming, bang your head to something, vomit, blushing, or have the urge to kill your beloved teacher Kakashi you mustn't call me 'baba' for one week from now. If you do, I'll make sure that you are disqualified from the chuunin exam personally FOREVER. But if you don't do what I'm expecting, you are free to call me baba and have a C-rank mission if you want to. Deal?"

Naruto frowned. He had never seen such a confident Tsunade even in gambling. What Kakashi said to her must be a real pain in ass for him. He wondered briefly if he should take the challenge or not. He absolutely knew that this bet was dangerous for his shinobi reputation, but his curiosity beat his careful self.

"This is quite a hard decision, but fine. It's deal. So tell me what my teacher said about me…"

Tsunade put her best cheerful face. "He said that you and Sasuke are a couple of special, rare species of lovebirds that he can never find at anywhere, anytime, any-century, even in his perverted book of Icha Icha Paradise and Violence."

Naruto was having the best challenge in his lifetime to keep his expression as blank as possible. _Calm down, you idiot!! If you want to be a good shinobi, you mustn't let your _enemy _read you!!_ Naruto scolded himself inwardly. But it seemed his attempt failed.

"Naruuutttttooooooo…" Tsunade was trying her best to make her voice sweet but the result was her voice sounded scary. "You are broadcasting your killing aura, kid…"

Sadly for him, Tsunade was damn right.

_::At the same time, Kakashi…::_

Kakashi winced a bit. He had bit his tongue, hardly. He was eating a bag of rice crackers in his apartment. For some random odd reasons, he didn't want his face uncovered in front of the public (much to fans disappointment) so he usually eats at home. If he had to, he usually avoid face contact with other people and eat in a great speed that many would envy.

But it was unusual for him to accidentally bit his own tongue. But he decided to shrug it off. _Maybe someone is talking something bad about me…_

If only he knew that his prediction was near to the truth…

:-:-:-:-:-:

"I should remember that he always late…" mumbled Naruto furiously as his right foot tapping furiously to the ground while his hands were folded against his chest. His mouth was pouting.

He heard a sigh beside him. It was Sakura. She was still the same, only she wore two pink bracelets at each of her hands and her hair was a bit shorter, almost similar to men's hair.

"Well, we couldn't help it. Since we thought that the student will come with him so he will come one hour earlier at least…" said Sakura.

Sounds of angry veins popped could be heard easily. "AAARRGGHH!! It's three hours thirty minutes 38 seconds already!! That ecchi (similar to ero, but more polite) sensei! He's good at nothing but late!!"

Sakura stared at him with an unbelieving face. "You **count** it?"

"Well, like there is anything I can do…"

Sakura sighed again. "At very least we could know that the end of the world is near when he come early…"

Naruto was just about to comment Sakura's remark when someone was approaching.

"Finally!" Naruto shouted in a mix of anger, impatience, and relief.

" 'Finally' what?" asked a quite similar voice. But that voice was the last one he expected to be heard here.

"Rhaera!! You as-plain-as-ice archer! What are you doing, here??" shouted Naruto. Actually, he didn't need to shout since he didn't have any grudge against the boy, but his impatience combined with anger overtook him.

Rhaera titled his head curiously. His blindfolded eyes seemed to stare curiously and dangerously to Naruto. Rhaera was a green-haired boy that accidentally met Naruto in one of Konoha forests. He still wears that very dark green, sleeveless, and tight shirt with high neck; combined with a pair of black shorts and that boot-like ninja shoes. The only things that changed were he wore a pair of grey colored - fingerless gloves and his long black scarf now decorated with an iron plate that usually attached to a forehead protector. A Konoha mark was engraved on the iron plate. It was clearly stating that he was a shinobi of Konoha.

"Isn't that my line? I am waiting for my new teammates and jounin teacher, here. You don't need to shout…" he said with his never changing plain tone. The reason why Naruto called him 'as-plain-as-ice' was because he was so expressionless; either face or voice.

"Oh, sorry. I forgot that you are a genin like me, too…" Naruto said sarcastically. Then his eyes flew to the paper bag that Rhaera was holding. And Naruto could smell something delicious from the paper bag. "What's that?"

Rhaera followed Naruto's eyes. "Oh, this? It is the taiyaki (goldfish shaped Japanese cake that filled with red beans) that I bought before I came here…"

Naruto's eyes suddenly glittering. "Do you mind to share with me?" he pleaded with his best puppy eyes and sweet voice. Rhaera was about to answer when…

"Ehem!"

Sakura coughed. She didn't like being ignored all the time. Her face was clearly showing it.

"In case you two forget about me, I will be very happy to remind you…" she said with a forced happy tone.

Naruto realized he had to take an action before Sakura take an action to him. He forced his usually cheerful but now groggy smile to his face. "I'm sorry, Sakura! I'm going to introduce you to him! He is-!"

Rhaera cut him. "Rhaera. Age near fifteen. Mastering the art of archery, taijutsu, a bit of ninjutsu, and definitely a sucker at genjutsu. The rest is unknown because I have amnesia," Rhaera explained himself in the same plain tone.

Sakura poked Naruto with her elbow. Naruto turned to her and she whispered to his ear. "Is he a robot or something? He is even a lot more boring than Kakashi-sensei…" asked Sakura.

Naruto shrugged. "I don't know. The first time I met him I'm nearly sure that he is a walking corpse if he didn't shouting angrily to me…"

Sakura stared at him. "Shouting angrily to YOU?" she asked. Her eyes stared suspiciously at Naruto. Whenever someone was shouting angrily to Naruto, no good things happened.

Naruto grew nervous. "Well, it's a very long story…" Naruto decided to change the topic before Sakura could beg him to tell the tale because waiting for Kakashi was the thing that almost at the top list of 'the shinobi's world most boring things'.

"So, Rhaera. When are you supposed to meet your new teammates and teacher?" asked Naruto as he took the taiyaki from the paper bag and bite it. Taiyaki was one of the best friends for snack. He noted when his mouth chewed the cake.

Rhaera gave him an 'I don't remember giving you the permission to eat my taiyaki' look but decided to not push the matter and answer Naruto's question. "I'm supposed to meet them about three hours ago or so, but…"

At the same time, Naruto and Sakura thought: _Three hours ago… new teammates and jounin teacher… something was on the right place on the right time._

"… I heard from the Godaime-sama that my new teacher is always late for three hours. And it was already more than three hours. I guess they have head out without me or searching me."

Naruto choked his taiyaki. _Wait a freakin' second!! Don't tell me that he is…_

As if on cue, Kakashi popped up from no where and said, "I'm sorry, I was searching for your new teammate, but then I found him here…"

Naruto and Sakura nearly fainted from suffering the greatest heart attack. For the first time in years, Kakashi managed to tell them a reason that seemed logical and acceptable. Too bad Sasuke wasn't here. They would be very interested to see the young Uchiha's flabbergasted expression.

Kakashi chuckled at his students' shocked expression. But his chuckling decreased when Rhaera looked at him with an unreadable but weird expression.

"Are you my supposed to be teacher?" asked Rhaera without missing his plain tone.

Kakashi put his cheerful face again and answered, "Yes, I am. My name is Hatake Kakashi. And they are your new teammates."

_Someone, please kill me now! _thoughtNaruto. If only Sasuke was here, either of the boys would be very pleased. Naruto was thinking that the end of the world was really approaching when Kakashi told them an acceptable lie and that oh-so-plain archer was his new teammate.

Rhaera never put back his weird expression. "You know sensei? My first impression of you is…"

Naruto and Sakura suddenly recovered from their shock to hear what Rhaera going to say. Kakashi lifted his eyebrows.

"…your name is as weird as your personality."

Naruto and Sakura could agree no more. For some twisted ways, 'kakashi' means scarecrow…

:-:-:-:-:-:

Started on: November 19th 2004

Ended on: November 21st 2004

**looking for reviews T.T sob Just one. ANYOOONEEE!! Review for the second chapter, PLEEAAASSSEEE!!! suddenly wearing a cheerful mask But since I'm a thankful person, I'm going to thank you to my first reviewer.**

**Answer for review:**

**Dragon Man 180 Konoha was in an unstable condition for the upcoming chuunin exam and possibly war. In a condition like that, how could you expect a 'party'? You sure a happy-go-lucky person, aren't ya?**


	3. Scroll 2: Plan and Adaptation

**#Hidden Spirits: Village Hunting & Side Effect#  
****A Naruto Fan-fiction -- Sequel from 'Hidden Spirits'  
****By: _Climax_**

**Disclaimer for ALL chapters: Do not and never own Naruto. Except this story plot, idea, and my own characters I create on this story.**

--------------------  
Scroll 2: Plan and Adaptation  
--------------------

It was a nice day for someone who lives in the Flower Manor. Like its name, Flower Manor was full of healthy trees, beautiful flowers, other plants, and maybe some wild animals too. It was a nice looking Manor for any nature lovers. The manor itself was simple but elegant looking. It was as if the manor construction was specially designed to not disturb the beauty of nature its garden has.

Aside from the manor, the owner itself was sitting on a white, elegant chair with round table in the middle of the garden. He was a young red haired boy in his seventeen or eighteen. His hair was a bit wavy and tousled. His brown and almost golden eyes were staring to his cup of black tea. His body was quite small and slim. That made him to look much younger than his original age. But he was mature looking in some ways and tall enough to tell his age. Beside the fact that he was a rich young man, he wore a simple brown t-shirt with a pair of white pants.

He was not alone. One could tell this youngster was amazing to keep calm and… relax despite the fact he was sitting at the same table with two S-rank criminals. Who else do you think if not Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame.

"So you two are going to participate in the chuunin exam. But, won't it cause a big ruckus? For you two are being S-rank criminals…" the boy commented before sipped his tea.

Kisame paid no care; as long as he was able to use his Samehada to hurt or kill people freely. But Itachi had to care. They didn't meet the boy in front of them for nothing. "That's why we come here, Kinjiya-san…" Itachi said with his usual cold accent.

The boy he called Kinjiya smiled warmly. "I told you to call me 'Hayame'. Since my family name is quite foreign on my ears. Beside, if we want to have a business, isn't it more comfortable to kick the formalities out of the way? Even I'm rich I'm still a teenage boy, you know…" Hayame said as he put down his cup to the table.

Itachi paid no comment. No need to ask Kisame who was busy staring to a rabbit as if he was going to eat it raw.

Hayame sighed and look into the sky dreamily. "You know, it's boring in here. Even there are twenty assassins that pop up in every single part of my home and try to kill me each week. I wish, I have something thrilling to do. I admit it, I'm jealous to you shinobis…" Then he looked back to Itachi and Kisame. "But I think you Akatsuki offer me a far more interesting thing than those scumbags, now. All right; I agree to help you. But I have a request…"

A very small part of Itachi begged that the request was not something that was a nuisance.

"…let me participate in the chuunin exam with you."

Kisame nearly loosened his grip on his Samehada. Meanwhile Itachi's knuckles turned white because the iron grip he managed to perform for avoid his uprising… laughter. It was REALLY a nuisance. Much to Itachi's other part disappointment.

Kisame snickered. "Che! Do you seriously think a spoiled brat like you can participate in a shinobi exam? Even its level is chuunin, I still doubt you will like to 'move around' a bit."

**SWISH**

Just as Kisame finished talking, something flew past, barely hitting his head. He heard the sound of something sharp embedded on a tree and he turned around. Found… nothing.

_What? What is the thing that just flew by??_ he asked in pure curiosity tough he didn't express it, he was very confused. He caught Itachi's expression when he looked around more to find the object. The Uchiha prodigy's eyes were frighteningly narrowed, staring right to the calm red haired rich boy. To be more exact, Itachi stared to Hayame's palms that rested on the round table.

Itachi caught Kisame was staring him and give a 'that-is-the-price-if-you-talk-too-much' look. Hayame smiled again. But this time there was no warm in it. The smile still pretty, but it was strangely has frightening impression.

"Well, Kisame-san. Take the wound on your cheek as prove of my ability…" said Hayame with a calm tone. At first, Kisame wondered what the boy means but then he felt something warm oozing from his cheek and trailed down. He touched his cheek to make sure if what he thought was what he thought. And he was right. He looked at his fingers. It was blood.

Itachi narrowed his eyes not for no purpose. This Hayame boy sure was one hell of a fast and agile person. If he hadn't have his mangekyou sharingan, he sure he couldn't catch Hayame's hand movements. But still, he hadn't fast enough to catch the sight of what the rich boy threw to Kisame. Heh, that boy sure wasn't escape twenty assassins each week with no skills or whatever he had.

"So? Are you agreed?"

Itachi smirked inwardly. Maybe they could use the boy for other purpose beside money.

"Agreed."

:-:-:-:-:-:

"Well, I suppose you all know that chuunin exam is next week. And you aren't bound to -I mean- want to lose. But since Sasuke's departure you—"

"Cut the crap out, Kakashi-sensei. We know that already. Just to the point where we don't know…" cut Naruto who was still pissed off. Right now he just wanted something that interesting enough to kill his dark mood.

Kakashi seemed didn't mind. "All right, tough I explain this for Rhaera. But I guess you two can fill him later. For your team of three, Rhaera is the newbie, either in his genin experience or in your team. It is because he was graduated to a genin yesterday. In short, while he is an innocent in battle and teamwork, he must face the chuunin exam with you two. So you three only have one week to adjust. It's quite a hard work since you are a unique team…"

_I don't doubt that…_ thought Sakura. Yup, their team contents were: a loudmouthed and idiot but full of spirit and energy blonde, a very smart and has a monster power kunoichi, and the as plain as ice archer. It was no normal team.

Meanwhile, Naruto thought: _If innocent in teamwork, I don't doubt that. But about innocent in battle… I don't dare to doubt it. Kakashi-sensei sure is never see how the two Akatsuki were so pissed off when they have battle with him. But I guess he won't believe me. Neither will Sakura…_

"So? What do you think?" asked Kakashi.

"Well, I don't mind about adjusting. But the question is how do we adjust in only one week? You know that to obtain teamwork, one week doesn't enough…" said Sakura. Sadly, she was right. If they carelessly participate in the chuunin exam without good enough teamwork, it was just as same as suicide. Even Konohamaru knows that.

Kakashi smiled under his mask. "Don't worry. Godaime-sama has calculated that. So she gave me and Asuma the permission to enter training field number 11. That's the best place known to improve teamwork."

Naruto nodded in understatement. But something caught his attention.

"Wait a second… you and ASUMA??" asked Naruto in horror. He had to prepare his heart for the worst case scenario.

Kakashi smiled again. "Yes. Ino and the others' team are going to train there, too."

Sakura's jaw dropped in a mix of shock, disappointment, and anger. Shock because she was going to share the same field with Ino, disappointment because the Godaime had choose the wrong decision, and the anger because the mix of two reason.

Naruto (especially Sakura) wondered how things became worse and worse. The lady of luck must be toying with them now…

:-:-:-:-:-:

Team 7 and their sensei were standing in the middle of the forest. They were talking to Asuma and his team. Ino was still the same. The same blonde, the same clothes, the same attitude, only her hair was longer so it could reach her shoulder. Chouji was the same Chouji too. So was Asuma. But their team contents were something else.

Due the fact that Shikamaru was a chuunin, they need one more teammate for participate the chuunin exam. But the teammate was so… unique. First: he was (yes, the 'somebody' was a male) not in the same age as them. He was a sixty years old looking old man. Second: he was far shorter than they. His height only reached Ino's waist. Third: he looks like the type that like to boss around but diligent. Fourth: that type of human wasn't suitable for people under twenty. Not to mention his weird fashion sense. He wore Chinese styled grey shirt and pants with black shoes. His white hair was long and tied into TWO braids so he looked like an old woman if you see him from behind. Not to mention he was bringing a big brown backpack and a tall wooden rod that was taller than him. Maybe its existence was to hit rude youngsters.

Sakura whispered to Ino. "Uhm… Ino. Who is this… alien?" she asked while Kakashi-sensei was discussing something with Asuma. Naruto and Rhaera moved closer to enter the conversation.

Ino fought the urge to cry. "He is Sagawa Shijirou. As you see and sadly, he is my new teammate. Asuma-sensei brought him to my team last month. He said he is the **perfect** replacement for Shikamaru since he is calm, collected and clever tough not as clever as Shikamaru. But he is one hell of a hard worker and ambitious person. But I think Asuma chose him because he was missing for the shougi matches with Shikamaru. That is no wonder. After all, he is an old—"

**TWHACK**

Ino didn't have the chance to finish her sentence because a small rock hit Ino's head. The culprit was Shijirou. Tough the rock was a small one; it was still hurt like a shit.

"Girl, don't back-talking a person if you don't want to called as a gossiper especially when the subject is near enough to hear your conversation," Shijirou said with an advising tone as his free hand played with three more small rocks.

"But I didn't say anything bad about you! I mean— yet. You don't give me a chance!!" Ino protested.

"Better safe than sorry. That is what Wiseman said…" Shijirou said as he glared to Ino with his grey eyes.

Ino sighed in defeat then he turned to Sakura. "See? I really envy you Sakura. You've got a young and not a detestable one. At least he is not a troublemaker or something. When me looked around to make sure Shijirou wasn't listening got an old geezer…"

"Well, be thankful that he is at least not an old pervert," said Sakura as she sweat-dropped.

But like elders said, one human could only hope…

_A few minutes later…_

"That's all about the explanation. Do you understand?" asked Kakashi.

Naruto's eyebrow twitched. "Honestly, Kakashi-sensei, Asuma-sensei. What are you two trying to hiding?" he asked with a full of suspicious tone.

Sakura had the same thought. So was Rhaera. But the archer paid no care as long as he knew what to do. Sakura had her eyes narrowed. Naruto knew that something was missing by his hunch. But Sakura knew by her brain. Something was fishy about those rules.

Asuma looked nervous but Kakashi smiled cheerfully and carefree as always. "We are not hiding something. Maybe it is just your feeling…" said Kakashi.

But his attempt was a failure because now Ino, Chouji, and Shijirou eyed them too. But it looks like Shijirou knew what the missing thing was.

"But my feeling is always right. If you are not _hiding_ something, then you must be planning something…" said Naruto.

"Well, if you insist, why don't you see it yourself?" asked Kakashi. Before Naruto had the chance to reply, he quickly instructed Asuma to bring his students to the other entrance of the field.

Naruto, knew that it was impossible to kick the answer out of his teacher, decided to give up and waiting for the next instruction.

They staid still for a moment before Kakashi decided to break the silence. "It looks like Asuma and the others are there now. I think we could begin." He turned to his student. "You all go in on my mark."

Understand what the teacher was trying to say, Naruto and the others took their position in front of the cave entrance.

"1......... 2........ 3!!!"

On the 'three' word Naruto and his team sprinted towards the cave and not until a long time they vanished into the cave.

Kakashi almost grinned evilly. "I really want to know what is this going to be…"

:-:-:-:-:-:

Naruto, Sakura, and Rhaera kept running and running. The cave was so dark but there were torches along both sides of the walls. There were many stalactites and stalagmites. Some of the stalactites were dripping water and forming a small pool of water.

When they were out of Kakashi's hearing range…

"Stop," ordered Sakura. Naruto and Rhaera complied as they stopped their running legs.

"What's the matter, Sakura-chan?" asked Naruto.

"I think we need some preparations first."

Naruto wanted to say 'no need' but he knew he couldn't take a risk. When the jounins were hiding something, something bad was always bound to happen.

Sakura went to the other side of the cave and sit there. Naruto and Rhaera followed.

"First, let us review what Kakashi-sensei said." The others nodded at Sakura's suggestion.

"First: our job is to search a plant named Blue Glow. Kakashi-sensei said that it is a very good medicine and poison. Its pollen is very poisonous meanwhile its roots, leaves, and stems are very good medicines. It is so rare and people can only found in this cave. We must bring three of them complete from the flower to roots. Since it is rare and expensive, I don't need to ask why our teacher ordered us to bring it in three and complete form…"

"Ne-ne! Sakura-chan! How much is it cost?" asked Naruto, back to his cheerful self. His hyperactive voice echoed in the cave.

"If I say it, you must be very shocked…"

"It's okay! If you won't say it, then write it!"

Sakura sighed as she dug her pocket to find paper and a pencil. She wrote something and handed it to Naruto. Naruto took the paper and his eyes became impossibly wide and white.

"ACK!! There're many zeros!!!" yelled Naruto meanwhile Rhaera left confused because he couldn't see what was written on the paper.

"By the way, we must find it as fast as possible before Ino, bring it to the third entrance of the cave first, or lost. That's the second rule to us…" said Sakura, ignoring Naruto's flabbergasted state. Naruto quickly recovered from his shock and asked her.

"Sakura-chan! How can we find it if we don't know what it looks like??"

**SMACK**

A fist landed on Naruto's head, causing a yelp from the blonde boy and a terrible headache for him.

"You idiot! Didn't Kakashi tell us just now?!! Where were you when he was explaining??" Sakura shouted in rage; causing more echoes.

"Hey, you don't have to mean…" moaned Naruto as he rubbed his head and pouted, a bit of tear could be seen on his eyes. Sakura silenced. Naruto looked so cute when he was like that.

_No! Don't think something like that!_ Sakura cursed herself inwardly as she shook her head. How could she thought something like that in this kind of time??

"Sakura-chan? Is there something wrong?" asked Naruto.

Sakura shook her head again. "Nothing. I have just thought a ridiculous plan, that's all. And to answer your question, Kakashi-sensei said nothing but the Blue Glow plant, like its name, is glowing blue light."

"So, we just have to find blue light and we are considered as the winner if we can bring three and complete form of the Blue Glow plant. Is there anything else?" asked Rhaera who has been completely silent. Sakura nodded.

"Yes. Our team must in a complete number too."

Naruto looked surprisingly thoughtful. Of course, Sakura wondered what possessed Naruto to think. Or he ate or drink something and that food or drink did something to the boy's brain, Sakura didn't know.

"Hey-hey! We have to collect three plants, right? What if that Blue Glow plants number are more than three or five? If both of the teams are bringing three plants; who are the winner?" asked Naruto. Well, he had a good point.

Sakura tried to think for the answer. But Rhaera came up first. "I think we must reach the third entrance first or steal the plants from the other team. If we can't steal it, then we destroy it."

"Sound good to me," said Naruto. "Then, what's our tactic? We better think fast. We don't know what Ino and the others are doing now."

"You are right. But don't worry. From the looks of it, they new teammate Shijirou is a full of calculation old man. I guess they are thinking for some plan like us now. Well, let's look to our own matter. We have four conditions. First, we don't know where those Blue Glow plants are. Second, we don't know if there are enemies or traps in the further parts of this cave. Third, we don't know how to reach the third entrance from the place we could find the plants but one thing for sure it's located at the east. Fourth, I heard Shijirou was recruited one month earlier than Rhaera. They may stand the better chance in teamwork. Not to mention we aren't experienced in exploring a cave. In short, we have a lot of disadvantages," said Sakura thoughtfully. "By the way, Rhaera-kun; what are your skills? Naruto and I already knew each other."

"You can say I'm proud for my archery skill. My eyes are blind so my hearing, sensing, and smelling skill are above average. And even I lost my memories; I think I still remember some of my navigation skill in cave…" said Rhaera plainly.

Sakura stared at him. "You know navigation? Isn't the ninja academy tells only the basic of it?" asked Sakura. That was right. The ninja academy tells only how to use compass, read & use map, establish course or direction, and to calculate the actual range based on the range in map. The further navigation lessons were told when a shinobi reached a chuunin level.

Narutp leaned to whisper to her ear. "I think it is because he was a traveler once…"

Sakura stared at Naruto in disbelief. "A traveler? He? Not only that, how can he reads map when his eyes—erm… blind?" asked Sakura.

"I usually use my nose and sense to remember or to search the place I want to go," Rhaera explained.

"Sounds like Pakkun to me…" mumbled Sakura softly so no one except her could hear.

"Well then, I guess we could use his nose to find our way," suggested Naruto. "Rhaera, can you use your nose to locate the Blue Glow plant?"

"Yes and no. I can find the plant if I know what it smells like." Naruto's head fell in disappointment hearing Rhaera's words.

"I heard from Kakashi-sensei that this Blue Glow plant smelled so unique. Maybe if Rhaera smelled something unique, we can follow the smell," Sakura suggested.

"Just hope Sa—Ino's reek won't disturb the plant's smell…" Naruto caught himself just in time. He didn't want to receive the second smack in a short time. Sakura eyed him suspiciously but then the kunoichi decided to let it passed.

"I think our best option is let Rhaera find the Blue Glow and one person accompanying him while the other one try to find the way out. Naruto, you are the one who accompany Rhaera. I will follow you two until you find the plant, exit from your will be current place to find the way out, and come back again to pick you up. If I don't come back and our enemies already ambushed you, you two must pick me up. It's already too risky that we're separating into two. We are more vulnerable if we alone," said Sakura.

Naruto and Rhaera nodded in agreement.

"All right then, everything is settled. Let's go!"

And they hurriedly run into the deeper side of the cave…

:-:-:-:-:-:

Started on: November 21st 2004  
Ended on: November 30th 2004

**Phew! That's a long one! I decided to post this before my school Final Test (that started on December 2nd)! I actually want to post this in Saturday, but I'm afraid I can't because I'll be trapped in my desk and books to study. See you later in the next chapter!**

**Answer for review:**

**_Dragon Man 180_ Sorry for my misunderstanding! But as you see, no time for party!**

* * *

**_IMPORTANT NOTES/PS!!!_ (READ OR YOU'LL BE SORRY!!)**

**I know there's some people out there that read my story but LAZY to review. _This is a threat!_ If there is only one review for this chapter when I go online in December 10th, _no chapters_ till New Year!! Writers can be cruel sometimes you know…**


	4. Scroll 3: Something Wrong

**#::Hidden Spirits: Village Hunting & Side Effect::#  
****A Naruto Fan-fiction -- Sequel from 'Hidden Spirits'  
****By: _Climax_**

**Disclaimer for ALL chapters: Do not and never own Naruto. Except this story plot, idea, and my own characters I create on this story.**

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
Scroll 3: Something Wrong  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Naruto and the others were running with their cheetah speed. Nothing happened… yet—luckily for Naruto's simple brain, unfortunately for his burning fighting spirit. But as always, his hunch was telling him that something was definitely out of place. In the other hand, Rhaera didn't care much. It looked like that his brain only contained one thought. Finish the mission as fast as perfect as possible. No more, no less. Meanwhile, Sakura had another thought.

_Strange, why there is nothing that tried to attack us or something like that? If my memory serves me right, the Blue Glow plant is something that people can find it only in here, right? It is strange enough that there is no trap that tried to stop us. Not that I hope it is, but still—something is not right…_

She and Naruto were so deep in thought that they didn't notice what they should notice. The ceiling of the cave was cracking. Rhaera was the first one who noticed. All was because of his keen ears.

"PICK UP YOUR PACE!!" he shouted.

"Huh?"

"Eh?" Sakura wondered if it was a command, an advice, or a warning since Rhaera's tone—as usual— plain; even if he was shouting.

Her question was answered by the cave's crumbling. The cave cracked; followed by a bit of sands and rocks fell. It was the first wave. The second wave quickly approached. The cracks grew bigger and the rocks —big, large, and huge rocks I mean— began to fall from the ceiling.

"AAHH!! Stone rain!!" screamed Naruto.

"The ceiling is collapsing if that's what you mean…" Sakura corrected Naruto calmly. Why did she care anyway? And what was that calm tone?? Now she regretted why she felt something wrong and accidentally hoped for trap(s).

A basketball sized rock fell on Naruto's head. Though Naruto's head was the winner in hardness (the rock broke into pieces when it hit his head; much to Sakura amazement) it still hurt a lot. Now he knew what Ino felt.

"ARRGHH!! I don't care what it called!! Just—butt out from here!!" Naruto shouted as he picked up the pace. In his mind, there was nothing but get away from those falling rocks.

The others could do nothing but complied. They ran in their best speed but the trail was not as smooth as a cement path in a sunny day. They sometimes had to dodge falling rock(s).

"NARUTO!! Move to your left!!" shouted Rhaera. Naruto complied. He—like it or not—had to follow Rhaera's advice. That boy sure was something in predicting (falling) things.

Just as Naruto moved to the left —closer to Rhaera— a big as one of Jiraiya's big frog rock fell off the ceiling. It looked so heavy and hard. If Rhaera wasn't here, maybe he would be as thin as a pancake now.

Naruto's face was like he had seen the worst horror of the universe.

Sakura eyes widen in an impossible size.

"Thanks." Naruto managed to breath.

"Your welcome," said Rhaera as he dodged more falling rocks.

After a long moment they finally reached the part where the ceiling was not falling rocks. They stopped to catch their breath.

"That was ::gasp:: close…" sighed Sakura as she used a tall stalagmite to support her body. She noticed that the stalactites and stalagmites number were decreased. It was still many, but not as many as at the entrance.

"Guh… I thought I'm going to die…" mumbled Naruto as his butt reached the floor. Only Rhaera that amazingly calm. His breath was ragged, but not enough to make him gasp for air. God knows why it seemed that he was the calmest of the three. Maybe it was because he was a real walking corpse.

After they had collected their breaths, Rhaera began to speak.

"We shouldn't run back then. The cave is very unstable."

Sakura cursed. "Shit. Why we didn't notice it before? The rock here was so frail!"

"But I heard from Iruka-sensei that the natural caves like this are usually strong and stable!" Naruto wondered.

"I think the soil in here contains more sands so the cave's solidness decreased much. Though there are limes in the soil that helped to create stalactites and stalagmites pillars, some part of the cave contains less of them. That means we can run or make much noise in some part of the cave, but nothing of those in the other parts," Sakura explained in the simplest word so Naruto's brain could catch up.

Naruto looked Sakura in amazement. "Wow, Sakura. You sure know a lot."

Sakura smirked. Meanwhile aggressive her inner self became active and was shouting in happiness and proud-ness. "Well, I'm not and never will be a brainless-muscleman like you, idiot."

Angry veins popped. "Because I detest that, I take back my words—I mean sentence." Naruto quickly covered his wrong gap. His ninja way was 'I don't take back my own words'.

Sakura wanted to fight him but there would be no end if they fight. So she remained silent. But she slammed and clenched her right fist by her left hand as a warning. Knew what it meant, Naruto decided that this was the best time to stay silent.

"Guys, bad news we got here…" Rhaera broke the silence.

Naruto and Sakura turned their head to Rhaera. The archer now was far from them now; as far as when they were on the edge of their usual training field and Rhaera on the opposite side. He was checking the newly collapsed part. Naruto and Sakura found it hard to not to sweat-dropped.

_What? When did he? _

They didn't sense him leaving was the first; and how could his voice reached them without him trying to shout or at least yell? Sure the cave could produce echoes, but could echoes reach them from that far distance?

"What's the matter??" shouted Naruto. Totally unaware that his shout caused another crumbling. Sakura quickly covered her head, fearing that she would experience the same accident like Naruto. Naruto placed his hands on his mouth and produced an 'ooppss' sound. But Rhaera didn't seem to panic. It looked like he knew that the cave wouldn't collapse again—at least for now. And he was right. Not long, the crumbling stopped.

"What do you think you have done, idiot?? I thought I would be a memory!!" Sakura hissed as she let her aggressive self took control and smacked Naruto's head—right into his newly received injury.

It took all of Naruto's mouth control to not to yelp or scream in pain. He ended up moaning and mumbling. "Ouchh… it hurts."

There was another question in Sakura's head now. How could Rhaera reach that long distance in a short time without causing the cave collapsed? But she decided to ask him later.

Ignoring Naruto, Sakura asked Rhaera.

"What do you mean by bad news? Don't say that the rocks are preventing us from going back…"

"Unfortunately, yes it is. And I think it's gonna take more than two weeks to remove them with only three people. That means our way out is only that third entrance. Sakura-san, do you know if there is another way out beside the third entrance?" asked Rhaera.

"Hmm… I think Kakashi-sensei said that there's four entrance of this cave. The north gate, south gate, west gate, and east gate. The west gate is already collapsed like this one. That means that we are in either south or north gate."

Naruto looked at her questioningly. "Huh? Kakashi-sensei didn't tell you which gate we entered?"

Sakura shook her head. "Regretfully no. He said that this is the challenge for us."

Naruto grinned. "Then that's okay. We can use the compass right? Rhaera-kun! I think you are the one who bring the compass!"

Sakura stared at him. "You gave the compass to him?"

"Yeah! Why?"

Now a kick landed on his leg. Naruto nearly shout when he remembered that he mustn't shout. He hissed in pain instead while his hands clutching his injured leg. He lifted his leg so he stood on one.

"What-what's that for??"

"Are you pretended to be brainless or are you really brainless?? Rhaera is BLIND and a blind human cannot use a compass because he cannot see it! How if we separated each other and none of us are with Rhaera? We are lost at that time, you know!!"

"But! Two weeks ago you said I shouldn't bring important gadgets because I'm a slob and you afraid if I'll lost them!! Sheesh..!"

Sakura was taken aback by his words. "Thanks for reminding me. But you can give it to me! Like there is no me in here!"

"I thought you have your own compass?"

"In case your full of ramen brain forget, YOU _accidentally_ dropped all of my navigation gadgets to a cliff two weeks ago so I swore I won't let you touch any navigation gadgets again. That's why I prevent you from bringing any important things."

"…But you can buy it again, right?"

"Do you think they are cheap?"

"Anyway, at the first place you made me bring your heavy packs, right? Your navigation gadgets won't lose if you didn't bring any useless things…"

"We were on VACATION, dammit!!"

"So? I only brought a small backpack."

"Girls things are many!"

"Eh-hem!" Rhaera interrupted their endless fight. "Please you two? You can continue this fight when we have found a safer area. I don't want any falling rocks again…"

Naruto and Sakura realized now. That the cave was crumbling. But fortunately it was not strong enough to draw rocks again. The crumbling stopped as soon as they shut their mouth.

"What a really risky cave…" mumbled Sakura.

"So is Sakura…" Naruto whispered loud enough to Sakura to be heard but low enough to be unclear.

Sakura gave Naruto a killing stare. "What?"

"By the way, here is the compass…" Rhaera interrupted before there was any fight began. He extended his hand so the two could see the compass.

The two fighting shinobi dropped their fight and looked carefully to the compass. At first the compass was swinging to right and left. But seconds later it was rotating fast.

Naruto and Sakura had a hard time to control their mouth. "WHAT the heck??!" they nearly yelled all their words. Rhaera who couldn't see what was happening to the compass left confused.

"What's the matter?"

"I think compass is a useless charm here…" said Naruto in a terribly sarcastic tone.

"There cave's soil must be contains magnet…" said Sakura as she softly knocked the cave's wall.

Rhaera silenced for a moment. Then… "Annoying training field."

"Yup. We definitely can't and won't make it in one week if we dig our collapsed entrance. And we can't use compass to find the direction. Not to mention that this cave is a giant maze—according to Kakashi-sensei's information. That means, if the remaining two entrances collapsed too then—"

"Say goodbye to the chuunin exam…" finished Naruto.

:-:-:-:-:-:

Tsunade was reading some reports in her office. She hates paperwork because naturally she was a love to gamble woman. When she turned to the next file she heard a soft knock on her door.

"Come in."

A medical ninja stepped in. He bowed to Tsunade. And he began the conversation uneasily.

"Uhm… ano… Godaime-sama?"

"Mention your purpose for coming here and interrupted my work or out. I still have tons of file I should read," said Tsunade simply.

The medical ninja automatically went to mobilized state. "Hai! I'm requesting that we should close the training field with number 11!"

"Training field 11? Why we should close it? I think that field is one of the best training field and one of our best medical herbs resources? You should have a good reason for it…" said Tsunade. She mentally worried for Kakashi's and Asuma's team.

"Because of two reasons. First: we found some err… unique creatures roaming in the cave last month. The second is when we sent a team of ANBU to investigate it but the team wasn't come back. We waiting, waiting, and waiting but they never come back. And they are known as one of the best investigating team. In short, we decided that the cave is dangerous. We wanted to report this three days ago, but—"

Tsunade snapped and she quickly grabbed the medical ninja's collar. "WHY DON'T YOU REPORT THAT IMMEDIATELY??!"

The medical ninja quickly went into his fear state. "B-because three days ago we heard you were going to the capital city of Fire country to report about chuunin exam and some other important maters. Why you are so angry?"

"Because just two hours ago I gave Kakashi and Asuma the permission to use training field 11!!"

The medical ninja's face changed from fear into horror. "What?" he said weakly.

"Now call three ANBU captains to meet me here!!" commanded Tsunade.

The medical ninja wasted no time to storm out of the room. Tsunade may a real beauty but when she was angry she was the real demon…

:-:-:-:-:-:

Started on: November 30th 2004  
Ended on: December 11th 2004

**HA-HAH!! Here is the scroll 3, chapter 4 D! Feels so refreshed! Especially after the school terribly terrible final exam!! But… MY MOOD IS NOT THAT GOOD!! Because the readers is really thinking that TWO reviews is enough for me!! I should raise it into ten back then. But I'm still thankful tough, it is better than nothing. I guess I should work harder. Well, bye for now!!**

**PS: No review_s_, no chapters. REMEMBER THAT!!**


	5. Scroll 4: Retrieve!

**#::Hidden Spirits: Village Hunting & Side Effect::#  
****A Naruto Fan-fiction -- Sequel from 'Hidden Spirits'  
****By: _Climax_**

**Disclaimer for ALL chapters: Do not and never own Naruto. Except this story plot, idea, and my own characters I create on this story.**

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
Scroll 4: Retrieve!  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Kakashi and Asuma were standing in front of the east gate.

"Now our job is waiting for them…" said Asuma as he lit up his cigarette.

Kakashi, with his nose buried in his 'Icha Icha Violence' book, answered with an amazingly relax tone. "And pray they will come back safe and sound."

"You make it look so simple to break through the cave. If my memory serves me right, even you need ten days to get out of there, right?" asked Asuma as he inhaled his cigarette.

"You're right. That cave sure is a giant maze. No wonder why the Blue Glow medicine is so expensive."

"Not to mention the traps that was set to prevent from intruders…"

"And that kind of place is the perfect training field for our need to adapt team."

"In case you forgot, I'm remembering you that the chuunin exam is next week. What we are going to do if they won't make it?" asked Asuma sharply. Why Kakashi could never be serious?

"They can participate for the next year exam…" Kakashi answered simply.

Asuma narrowed his eyes. "And if they don't come back?"

"We will catch up with them and retrieve them or their corpses."

Asuma sighed in defeat. "If only it is as simple as you said…"

Suddenly ten people popped up. Nine of them were ANBU and the last one was… Tsunade.

Kakashi closed his book and smiled cheerfully to the newcomers.

"May I ask you on what purpose you are here, Godaime-sama?" asked Kakashi. His eyes narrowed a bit then. "Especially with three team of ANBU…"

Tsunade wasted no time for explaining. "Where're your students?"

"In the cave. Why? Anything wrong?" asked Asuma.

Tsunade didn't answer. Instead she ordered the ANBUs to search the genins. The three team of ANBU spread out. One team for one entrance.

"You two," Tsunade said to Kakashi and Asuma. "Help the ANBU retrieve your students. Kakashi, summon your dogs to find Asuma and your students. Before you ask, one of the medical ninja said that there're some unidentified creatures that roaming inside the cave. What I fear most is if he is right about the missing ANBU team. Now go!"

"Hai, Godaime-sama." Kakashi shut his book and inserted it to his pocket. Then he summoned Pakkun and the other sharp nosed dogs. Asuma stood up from the big rock he had been sit at and prepared to go as Kakashi gave two of the dogs to him. Pakkun and the other one followed the masked ninja.

Tsunade stopped them before they left. "Oh. If possible bring the creature dead or alive for me to study."

"Yes."

"Hai."

:-:-:-:-:-:

"THEY CALLED THIS _TRAINING FIELD_??" shrieked Naruto as he dodged more spears and kept run as fast as he can to follow the archer in front of him.

"If they don't call this training field, we won't be here and there will be none of these traps, right?" asked Sakura.

They have been dodging the traps for a while. After the cave collapsed incident, they continued their 'journey' and found so many traps on their way; way too much for Naruto if you ask him. Not to mention the false ways that were created to lure them to the dead end with deadly traps. Luckily Rhaera had gotten the sign of the Blue Glow smell. So they didn't have to worry about false ways and false walls. But unfortunately, Rhaera said that the place where the smell came from was still far. He predicted that maybe they could reach that place in two days if they kept running like this and no traps on their way.

"Rhaera, are you sure this is the right way?" asked a doubtful Naruto.

"Yes I am." Rhaera answered plainly without any hestitation.

But Naruto wasn't satisfied enough. "Rhaera, are you _really_ SURE this is the right way?"

"Yes, Naruto, I am. Beside, there is an idiom say: 'the more we get close to the target, the more traps we will face'." Rhaera said as he dodged some shooting arrows. Naruto bowed his head as a sharp looking arrow passed his head and barely missing his skull. But he didn't have the time to lift his head back because a big sword sprouted from the cave wall with its sharp side facing him. Naruto jumped to avoid his leg from being cut by the sword.

The blonde genin grumbled. "I'm beginning to hate that idiom."

"The same goes here…" replied Sakura.

Naruto glanced to Sakura, wondering why the pink haired genin was beginning to hate an idiom. She usually likes idioms especially the unique ones. But at the first glance to her after a long time. He understood immediately.

If they weren't in such 'critical' condition Naruto would laugh till his knees met the floor. The kunoichi was covered with 'something that anyone won't like' from head to toe. Apparently there was a naughty trap that was set to spill some animals' digestion remnants; or in short: animals' feces. And that trap did its way to Sakura. She smelled great now.

Naruto would really happy if he could say: "The animals' craps goes well with you!" but decided that it was an unwise thing.

"Sakura-san," called Rhaera.

"Yes?"

"If we find water source, please wash your body as clean as possible. Not that I couldn't find the plant's smell but if this thing continued, I'm not sure I will get the clear smell of the plant. And my nose is too sharp so I cannot stand near you any longer than ten minutes," said Rhaera as honest as one could do. Apparently he didn't notice (or didn't care?) that Sakura was humiliated enough with just covered with animals' crap.

Sakura would be so pleased if she could land her fist on the archer's head but since Rhaera was the radar of the team so she hesitated—for now at least. But her inner self was shouting about something that Rhaera better change his plain accent before he drew them to further problems. That archer better watch his back carefully after this mission.

"Fine."

After some minutes they found a place without traps and with some pools of cave water. Sakura didn't have to wait someone commanding her to have a bath. She immediately jumped to one of the pools and washed her body and clothes as clean as possible; too bad she didn't bring shampoo or soap with her. She didn't bother to strip her clothes because there was no hidden place with water.

Meanwhile Sakura was bathing; Naruto began to wandering around the place. He never had a good chance to take a good look of the cave. He soon found a cute brown frog and observing it before it jumped away and he began to chase it around the cave. He quickly caught it and released it again because he found another frog and chased it. So it went like that again and again.

While Naruto was behaving like a small kid, Rhaera was sitting near a big stalagmite and check his arrows and bow. He and Sakura didn't have to worry about another collision that caused by Naruto's running because there were many stalagmite and stalactite pillars in here and the rocky wall seemed thick and hard.

_/Help…/_

Rhaera was checking the string on his bow when he heard someone called for help. The voice was very faint and weak but he was sure that it was a girl's voice.

"Did you hear that?" he asked.

"Hmm?" asked Sakura and Naruto. Sakura was having her hair washed meanwhile Naruto had a frog on his head, five on his shoulders, two at his hands, and one on his mouth. He looked cute with those small frogs.

"That voice…" said Rhaera as he titled his head to everywhere incase if the voice sounded again he would know where it came from.

"Naruto has been making a lot of sound…" Sakura pointed out.

"So is your bath sound…" said Naruto. But he was right so Sakura didn't mind him.

"What's the matter anyway? Something wrong?" asked Sakura incase if there was any danger.

Rhaera shook his head. "Nope. Maybe it's just my feeling." And he continued checking his equipments. Sakura shrugged and continued her hair washing. Naruto began to chase the frogs again and then beginning to observe a pool of tadpoles.

:-:-:-:-:-:

Ino and her team had beaten up. Thanks to Chouji's slow move. Unexpectedly for a sixty years old man, Shijirou managed to pass the traps well; though not as good as new.

"Chouji —gasp— can't you run and dodge better so we don't have to worry for another thing beside our own ass?" asked Ino. She was right. She and Shijirou kept saving Chouji from fell to a hole or having his head separated from his body.

"Boy, you really need to diet…" grumbled Shijirou as he took a bottle of a bottle of light alcoholic sake and drank it.

But Chouji seemed to not hear all of that request and critique. "I'm hungry…"

Ino's patience immediately snapped. "We have been worrying over our safety and what you have been doing is worrying over your stomach??!"

Chouji cowered. "But if we don't eat, we'll die because of hunger!!"

He was right.

"Ino! Chouji! Shijirou!!" called a similar voice.

"Asuma-sensei!" said Ino in surprise.

Asuma was accompanied by an ANBU (plus two of Kakashi's dogs) which acquired Ino and Shijirou's wonder. Chouji didn't care because he was too hungry to do anything.

"Asuma-sensei, why are you here? Accompanied by ANBU too…" asked Ino.

"I'll explain that later. Have you meet Naruto's team?" asked Asuma.

"All we have met is lovely traps and have a date with them…" said Shijirou mockingly as he gulped another gulp of sake.

"Well then, you all come with me. We are going out of this place." Asuma prepared to leave and gestured his students to follow him.

"Why is that, _sensei_?" asked Shijirou. Was it only his feeling or Shijirou really felt disappointed?

"I said I'll explain that later. It's not safe here…" said Asuma as he walked.

:-:-:-:-:-:

"We are out of the cave. So tell us Asuma-sensei, why did you say it is dangerous in the cave?" asked Ino.

"I don't know the details, but Tsunade-sama said that one of the medical ninja reported that recently some unknown creatures spotted and a team of ANBU is missing. So she ordered Kakashi, three team of ANBU, and I to retrieve you all including team seven before anything happened. And luckily we you found three before something bad happened to you."

Ino sighed. "Something bad has happened to us. We deal with annoying traps. Luckily that old geezer Shijirou didn't be a hindrance. Chouji is more than enough."

Asuma's head darted around as if he was looking for something. Speaking of the devil, "Where's Shijirou?"

Guh.

"I don't know. I think he followed us back then…" Ino said as her eyes were looking for the old man.

"Don't tell me that he is still in the cave," said Asuma; expecting the worst possibility.

"I think he is. There's no one that threw me a rock before I said 'old geezer'…" said Ino.

"Shit!"

:-:-:-:-:-:

_:-:The next day…:-:_

Rhaera finally managed found the right and shortest way to the plant. Or at least the expected to be plant. They didn't have to run because they were near to the place. Beside, this area seemed to be as frail as the previous collapsed area. No need to ask them if we want to know if they were afraid for another collision.

Rhaera's sharp nose was filled with the unique smell. Because the short range, Naruto and Sakura now could smell it too. Though it was faintly. After some minutes they reached a large area. They saw something glowing blue at the center. When they were close enough, they could be sure that it was their target.

"So beautiful…" sighed Sakura when Naruto lost his tongue. Rhaera remained silent because he couldn't see what Sakura and Naruto saw.

Sakura was right. The plant's leafs were perfectly diamond shaped. Meanwhile the flower petals were almost triangle shaped. Each flower had three or four petals. Not only that, unlike what Sakura and Naruto imagined, not only the flowers that glowing. All parts of the plant were glowing though not as bright as the flower. Naruto and Sakura almost sure that even the roots were glowing too.

"Then, what are we waiting for?" asked Rhaera. Sakura and Naruto snapped from their trance. They began to walk towards the plant. Suddenly, the old members of the team seven stopped.

"Why stopped?" asked Rhaera. He didn't sense any danger so it must be what they saw that stopped them.

Sakura placed her hand in front of her mouth as if she was going to vomit. "This is…cruel." She had to think the right word for what she saw.

There was no other word that could match it. Many of the Blue Glow flowers died. It was no usual. The dead plants seemed to have their liquid drained out. Their color weren't golden brown as other dead leafs. It was black. As if the plants were burned by a hot fire but not hot enough to burn them into ashes.

Rhaera lowered his body. He kneeled on the ground as he touched the ground. His fingers touched some of the plants remnants. It felt so rough, fragile, and lifeless at the same time. He drew his fingers back. He didn't want to feel it. Feel the plants pain.

_/Please…someone…/_

Rhaera shook his head. No. That voice again. It seemed that Sakura and Naruto didn't hear it. _Why was that? And whose voice it—_

"Guys! Come here!" Naruto's voice broke his thought.

Sakura quickly went to Naruto's place. Rhaera stood up as he smelled another smell. The smell of blood. Why he didn't notice it back then? Then he realized that the Blue Glow plants' smell were too overwhelming.

If Sakura was a mere girl, she would scream in horror. What Naruto found were some human corpses. Some of the corpses wore ANBU uniform. But found ANBU, the elite ninjas, corpses wasn't the thing that made Sakura wanted to scream. It was the fact that their body condition was…scary. The ones that didn't wear ANBU uniforms were at the same condition as the plant. Meanwhile the ANBU were less horrifying but no better from the 'dried' ones. One of them had his mask fell from its place and revealing the owner's blank eyes but horrified expression.

Naruto checked one of the ANBU corpses. He frowned.

"Mmm… Sakura?" asked Naruto.

"Yes?"

"Don't you think this is… strange? I mean, died plants and human corpses; especially some of them are ANBU members. And this ANBU corpse," Naruto pointed his thumb to the corpse he checked earlier. "has his blood drained away. But I don't see any wound or something that caused blood loss…"

"Let me see." Sakura walked towards the corpse and examined the dead body carefully. It was a little helping that she was a medical ninja so she had to 'get along well' with biology and anatomy. Thus she has the right reason to not fear corpses. She checked the corpse carefully and found nothing else but the same thing Naruto found. What method the culprit(s) used? And what was the reason they did this?

Rhaera tensed and went into his fighting stance immediately. "Someone is coming."

Hearing that, the other two went alert and set their fighting stance. They didn't have to wait long to prove what Rhaera said. Sounds of footsteps were echoing through the cave. The footsteps didn't sound hard and rapid. So the owner must be walking. Not long, a figure came by. Sakura and Naruto recognized it as Shijirou. But it didn't ease them. Wasn't Shijirou came here as their rival of mission?

"Don't worry, I come here not for that mission…" Shijirou said as if he was reading their thoughts.

"Then what for? We came to this cave for this Blue Glow plant, right? How could you say that??" asked Naruto.

"How could I say that? It is because not until one hour ago my _sensei_ ordered us including my team and yours to come back. I don't follow that Asuma kid because I still want to search that Blue Glow plant," Shijirou said without any lies.

"Why do you want to search the Blue Glow plant when there is no reason to do that?" asked Rhaera. He and the others didn't let go their alertness.

"Because if I buy; that plant is too expensive for my budget. By the way, I have a reason."

"Wait a minute. Why Asuma ordered us to come back? Something happens?" asked Naruto.

"Well—"

"AAAHHHH!!!" Sakura's voice interrupted Shijirou. All three males turned to see what the cause of that screaming.

Naruto gaped. "Oh my God."

:-:-:-:-:-:

Ended on: December 20th 2004

**You know, I'm beginning to think that the cause of lacking reviews is there's no Uchiha yet in action. Yeah, I know that. I'm an Uchiha fan too. But my favorite is Naruto and Yondaime. Damn Masashi-sensei. He should attach Yondaime a name. By the way, review please! And I shall work harder!**


	6. Scroll 5: Trapped

**#::Hidden Spirits: Village Hunting & Side Effect::#  
****A Naruto Fan-fiction -- Sequel from 'Hidden Spirits'  
****By: _Climax_**

**Disclaimer for ALL chapters: Do not and never own Naruto. Except this story plot, idea, and my own characters I create on this story.**

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
Scroll 5: Trapped  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

The 'thing' that caused Sakura screamed was no normal thing. Or should Naruto and the others say 'things'. There were giant plants that were surrounding their coming entrance. One of them got Sakura in their branches or roots. Roots were wounding around her body and neck, strangling her movements and breath. Amazing she managed to warn them by screaming.

Not only big, those plants have flowers that looks like a giant mosquito that was ready to bite and suck any kind of liquid. Naruto had a bad but accurate feeling that the said liquid was their blood. Only by seeing it made his stomach twist and untwist.

"What the heck are those… plants?" he stammered.

Shijirou was the one who answered him. "How should I know? It's my first time see this kind of plants."

One thing for sure, they had to do something before the plants do something to them.

It looked like that Rhaera was the first one recovered from his shock. Or maybe he even didn't shock mentioning the fact that he couldn't see anything but black. The green haired archer quickly shot his arrows.

But his attempt brought no success. The plants easily caught those arrows and broke it into pieces as if they were a mere died branch. Hadn't lost idea yet, Rhaera tried with kunais. But his target wasn't the plants but the roots that tied Sakura. He threw the sharpest ones he had but the roots are too hard and strong. The kunais weren't even scratched it.

Naruto, realized that he had to do something, was thinking hard how to get Sakura out of the plants grasp without his self being caught. Really, thinking wasn't his department. Suddenly he got an idea.

He took some explosives papers and stuck it into some of his kunai. He threw them to the plants and those kunais managed to burn some of those roots.

"Yeah!" he yelled but his happiness didn't last long. The burned branches immediately grew again into multiple branches.

"What the—?" Naruto was fooled by a plant. In the other hand, Sakura went into her aggressive self again and yelled angrily to the blonde.

"YOU IDIOTIC DUMBASS!! YOU MADE THEM EVEN MORE INCREASED!!"

But it didn't last long. The plants grasp were growing too hard for Sakura to take. She went unconscious and slumped into the plants.

"Oh no! Sakura-chan!!" Knew that he mustn't waste any time longer, he mindlessly threw himself to the plants. If the weapons didn't do anything, then let's rely for body physic. He didn't care if his self would be captured by the plants. In his mind, he focused on getting his teammate out of the plants' grasp.

But it wasn't success he received. A good slam on his stomach by one of the very thick branch prevented him from getting closer. Naruto flew across the cave and stopped only when his back slammed to the cave's wall. Pain shot trough his back and it hurt like a shit but he still able to stand up. He could feel the Kyubi's chakra was working, lessened his ache and bruise. He mentally thanked to himself that he has a shinobi strong physical. An average person would have his or her ribs broken.

Meanwhile Naruto was trying to stand up, Rhaera was thinking hard of how to get rid of those annoying plants as he dodged the attacks.

_What am I going to do? My arrows and kunais aren't working so is burning them! Come on! Think! _Rhaera cursed mentally.

"Hey, you overgrown green buddy! Come here and try to catch this old man if you dare!!" suddenly Shijirou's voice caught all the attention. How Naruto and Rhaera wanted to sweat-dropped to the old man's brat-like behavior if the time and situation allowed.

Weirdly, the plants seemed to take that challenge. Shijirou wasted no time to run.

"What that old geezer is planning to do?" asked Naruto as he walked to his other teammate.

Rhaera was confused too. But not long he realized where Shijirou was going to.

"Wait a minute. That part… oh no."

"What?" asked Naruto.

"He is going to burry those plants using the cave's fragile part!!"

Naruto thought for a moment. _What is he worrying? Doesn't it good plan? Wait. THOSE PLANTS HAVE SAKURA!! That means—_ "Sakura is going to buried too!!"

"Glad your said-to-be-dull-brain worked," said Rhaera sarcastically.

"Please, none of those allusions for now…" sighed Naruto tiredly.

"Right. But how do we stop that simple-brained old man? People like him aren't going listen to we youngsters…" said Rhaera as he watched Shijirou stopped once in a while to let the plants followed him.

Naruto spun a kunai with his index finger and caught it back. "What's the need of speaking when we can force?" asked Naruto. Then he ran towards Shijirou.

Rhaera shrugged then caught up with Naruto.

Shijirou was nearly reached his destination when a kunai suddenly dropped in front of him and blocked his way. He automatically stopped. Just a second after that…

"YOU ROTTEN OLD GEEZER!! ARE YOU GOING TO KILL SAKURA??" shouted Naruto as he ran pass Shijirou and snatched the old man out of the way.

"HOW SHOULD I CARE??! And what do you think you are doing, brat??! I was trying to get rid those extraordinary big plants. It was going smoothly but not until you interrupted me!! And I'm not rotten yet! So, LET GO OFF ME!!" scolded Shijirou as he struggled from Naruto's grip. The shout was echoing painfully at Naruto's ear. Because they were far enough from the plants, Naruto gladly dropped him.

Shijirou landed on the hard ground with a loud thud. "Ouch! Can't you be gentler?? I'm sixty four for god's sake!!" exclaimed Shijirou angrily.

Naruto, with an annoyed expression, stared at the old shinobi. "I just do what you told to me. You told me to let go so I let you go. Because of that you already cursed painfully. Really, you call your self a shinobi?" asked Naruto mockingly.

"Spare me, brat. I'm not as strong as my self back then. You'll realize it when you reached this age…" Shijirou said angrily as he rubbed his swollen knees.

Before Naruto could respond, something crashed beside them. It was Rhaera. Then he realized, they were still in a battle.

"Shit! I forgot about Rhaera. This is all your fault old man!" cursed Naruto.

"Don't blame me! Blame you and your forgetful self!!"

"Instead of quarrelling each other, why don't you two help me to get Sakura off of that plant so we can freely attack it and burry it if we like?" asked a near mental snapping Rhaera. His voice was as plain as ever, but Naruto and Shijirou could feel red aura resonating from his body. They had to admit, he was a little… scary.

"Yes, sir." Naruto and Shijirou replied together.

But from now on, it seemed it became more difficult. The plants became more and more aggressive each time they attacked them. After some minutes trying, Naruto and the others had many bruises and wounds but the plants seemed as fresh and energetic as ever.

"What the heck are these plants?? We tried to cut, burn, punch, kick, I even tried to bite and eat it! BUT those attempts have done **nothing**!! What should we do??" yelled a frustrated Naruto as he dodged a thrust from one of thick branches. It hit a giant stalagmite and destroyed the hard rock into pieces. If he didn't success at dodged it he was a memory now.

The others didn't reply because their own hands were full. Naruto glanced at Sakura. The girl seemed to be having a hard time for breathing in her unconscious state. But he was too concentrated to Sakura so he didn't notice another branch was flying to him. When he realized, it was too late to dodge. He could only cover his body by crossing his hands in front of his face. The branch hit his hands hard. So hard until Naruto felt it was going to break. He flew across and landed—thankfully—on the soft bed of Blue Glow plants. But he couldn't relief yet. Because of the hit, some of the Blue Glow plants released their poisonous pollens.

Naruto quickly held his breath and jumped off as far as possible from the pollens. He landed perfectly on the hard ground. But suddenly he felt a stabbing pain on his left leg. It was so painful so he could not stand much longer. He fell on his knees and not soon, had his body lay on the ground while his hands held his left leg. The pain grew more intense in each second. It was as if his leg was being cut by a hot sword slowly.

"Shit. It looks like—ouch—I inhaled a bit of them…" he gasped in pain.

At the other hand, Shijirou wasn't giving up attacking. He kept hitting the plants, didn't care what method he used or was it going to give a damage on those annoyingly annoying plants. He was going to throw another shuriken when he noticed Naruto wasn't on his legs and one of the plants was going to smash him with its biggest branch.

Shijirou didn't have enough time to think what kind of jutsu he was going to use so he let his hands choose it for him. He did several hand seals and concentrated his chakra. After several seconds he inhaled deeply and blew it.

"WIND ELEMENT; FREEZING BREATH!!"

If Sasuke's Goukakyuu no jutsu (Grand Fireball technique) breaths fire, in this case Shijirou's jutsu breaths cold, freezing wind that was enough to freeze the plants. The cold air quickly spread through, freezing all parts of the plants and a bit of the cave's parts. The branch that was going to hit Naruto stopped just a few centimeters from him. The pain on Naruto's left leg was too painful so he didn't notice anything. All he cared right now was how he was going to get rid of the pain. But he failed and went unconscious.

"Brat! Get up and bring your pitiful ass from your place! My chakra is too weak and the jutsu won't last long!" yelled Shijirou. But seeing Naruto wasn't responding him, he sighed in frustration. "Man, out of all time, you are poisoned by the Blue Glow's pollens?? You there!!" he pointed to Rhaera.

"Yes?" the archer was a bit startled but quickly regained his plain composure.

"You help that idiot! You are the nearest to him! And I'm going to save the girl!" commanded Shijirou. Rhaera had no choice but complied and added a check in his list of the reason why he hated old men. He went towards Naruto and tried to aid him. Meanwhile Shijirou used his chakra to make his kunai became very sharp and began to cut the roots that tied Sakura.

Just as Shijirou finished his job, the plants suddenly were shaking. It seemed they were trying to back into action again.

"Let's get out of here!!" exclaimed Shijirou. Rhaera complied. Both of them were having an unconscious load on their hands so they slowed down a bit. When the last trace of ice was off from the plants, Shijirou reached one of the cave's tunnels. He was the first because he was the nearest.

The plants went wild again but this time they attacks randomly. Some of their 'hands' hit the cave's wall and built a tremor in the cave. The shake was so great that made it was hard to just stand up. Rhaera and Shijirou didn't have to wait long to see falling rocks—sorry—big rocks.

The tunnel that Shijirou and Sakura were in had less falling rocks so he considered that it was a bit safe to wait for Rhaera and Naruto.

"Run faster, you turtle! Unless you are willing to burry your teammate and yourself with those annoying plants!"

"I am TRYING to be fast, old man!" Rhaera didn't bother to low his voice. The cave was collapsing already so was that going to make a difference?

But Rhaera was a bit too late. When he nearly reached the tunnel, the ceiling on that part collapsed. The collision closed the tunnel, separating Naruto and Rhaera from Sakura and Shijirou. Rhaera stopped just before he made Naruto and him self buried by the rocks.

_Shit! But there must be another way…_ cursed Rhaera as he searched for another way out. He quickly discovered another tunnel and went into it. He quickly ran across the Blue Glow plants. He didn't care if there were poisonous pollens there. He could hold his breath. It was the shortest way anyway.

_All right! Just a little more!!_

Suddenly Rhaera felt the ground under him gave away. When he realized, he was falling to the deep darkness and it was too late to do anything.

:-:-:-:-:-:

Uchiha Sasuke opened his sharp eyes. He rubbed his eyes to erase the last trace of sleepiness and then got up. Uchiha Sasuke was no longer 'pretty'. He turned into a gorgeous fifteen year old teen. His hair style was as same as ever but his front bangs were now longer so they could reach his shoulder. His forehead protector was no longer displaying Konoha's leaf shaped symbol. Now it was the Oto's symbol. His blue shirt was replaced by sleeveless, high-neck shirt. His white shorts were a pair of grey pants now. His lower parts of his legs (from knees to ankles) were wrapped by white as cloud bandages (just imagine Kakashi's and other chuunin or jounin lower body attire). Speaking of bandages, there were no longer attached to his arms. They were replaced by two pairs of brown fingerless glove. The only thing that would never change was the shoes. As blue as ever, only the size was bigger than three years ago.

He looked around. He was in a training field in the village known as Oto. Kunais were everywhere; the remnant of his or another's training. Speaking of training, how could he fall asleep? He was sure he didn't overexert him self back then when he was training. Or maybe Kabuto was using him as a guinea pig for the newly invented sleep powder. He shook his head. Nah, that medic ninja wouldn't dare. After that incident, where Kabuto—on purpose or not—accidentally split a bit of one of his deadly poison to Sasuke's food and warned him just after he inserted and swallowed the first spoon of the soup. That made Orochimaru so mad and punished Kabuto by commanding him to clean the toilets and trashes for one month. It sounded easy but actually it didn't. The reason was: not only his, Orochimaru, and Sasuke's he had to clean; it was including he _guests'_ (prisoners) toilets. It was a very good (and rare) chance for the prisoners to have their revenge. They kept giving him so much trouble. For example: they purposely didn't flush the toilet after they used it after that, they called Kabuto to clean it for them (imagine how disgusting was that); another example: they didn't recycle their trashes and threw another trash on the floor when Kabuto was cleaning the first wave. Kabuto could do nothing of that because Orochimaru seemed to have a temporary agreement with those prisoners to not hold back for telling that their toilets and rooms were not clean enough. And if that happens, Orochimaru would order Kabuto to clean it again. That's why Kabuto these days had a look that promising that he would personally and officially persuade Orochimaru to be ten times crueler on the prisoners once the punishment was over. But it seemed that the prisoners care less. They maybe think that if it wasn't now, then when they would get another chance? Maybe they wanted to have the last amusement before the storm. Sasuke prepared his heart to pity them when the month was over. But… again, why and how did he fall asleep?

Deciding that it wasn't matter (at least not anymore for now), Sasuke got up. He wanted to have a shower badly. His body smelled awful. Suddenly, he felt stinging pain on his left leg. He immediately fell on his knees. He scanned his left leg. He didn't remember he got a wound on that part or seen any trace of blood. Okay, he officially worried now. He tried to get up. His leg was starting to hurt like a hell. He decided to bear with it for now and quickly walked towards the place where he could find that nearly useless medical ninja Kabuto.

:-:-:-:-:-:

Started on: December 27th, 2004  
Ended on: December 31st, 2004

**HEY! Sorry for the late update! I have a vacation in Bali or Dewata Island for five days and my mother proudly told me to not bring my beloved laptop. That's why I wasn't able to write, let alone update, back then. **

**So what do you think about this chapter? This is my first time writing fighting scene so maybe it isn't good enough.**

**And I realized I made a time mistake in Scroll 4. In that chapter, Shijirou said:** 'It is because not until one hour ago my _sensei_ ordered us including my team and yours to come back' **and blah-blah-de-blah. The underlined ones should be twenty hours. Sorry.**

**(……)**

**Hey, don't stare at me! I'm a good writer with a good talent and a good future! Well, if you don't want to admit it at least bears with the fact that I'm updating my chapters every week, right?? I mean, almost…**

**That's all about my useless ramblings. And the last…**

**MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR FOR THOSE WHO CELEBRATES!!!  
****(I wonder who didn't… )**

**With lots of love and thanks, **_(especially for the one who review this story faithfully—from prologue chapter to now—Dragon Man 180)_

**:: (Climax) ::**

**PS: should I remind you forever? _REVIEW_ please!!**


	7. Scroll 6: Reason

**#::Hidden Spirits: Village Hunting & Side Effect::#  
****A Naruto Fan-fiction -- Sequel from 'Hidden Spirits'  
****By: _Climax_**

**Disclaimer for ALL chapters: Do not and never own Naruto. Except this story plot, idea, and my own characters I create on this story.**

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Scroll 6: Reason  
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Sakura opened her eyes. Her body was sore and her head was spinning. The last thing she remembered she shouted to her blonde teammate and then blackness. She didn't immediately get up. She scanned her surrounding in case there was an enemy or more around her. With her sore body it was better to avoid useless conflict by pretended to die. But after realized that nothing dangerous, she sighed.

"Where am I?"

Instead of echo, a hoarse voice reached her ears shells. "Oh. You are awake now. I was beginning to think that I had to get you up by a hit."

Sakura suddenly forgot the soreness of her body and backed off as quick as human can do. In front of her was Shijirou. The old man faced her and what separated them was a campfire. She stared at Shijirou, wide-eyed. "W-wh-what the—?! How and why do you here??" her voice stuttered because of newly received heart attack.

Shijirou glared at her resentfully. "Don't stare at me as if I am an extraordinary chimera or something. And to answer your questions, I saved your life. You should be grateful."

"WHAT?? You? Saved me??"

"Why? Do you doubt my ability? Even my appearance doesn't show it, I'm still as fresh as a fresh picked fruit."

"Not that I doubt you, it's just… unexpected. You are from Ino pig's team, right? Why didn't you help your own team?" asked Sakura.

"Feh, it the beginning I didn't bring my team. They are on that young Asuma care so they don't need my worry. What matters now is how we get out of here." Shijirou took a bottle of sake and drank it.

Sakura frowned. "Hey old man, it isn't the right time to drink sake. It's not gonna help us and bad for your health."

"But it helps to ease my mind. By the way, I heard from Ino that you are a medical ninja, is it right?"

"Well, yeah, but I'm still in study. I'm not officially a medical ninja yet. I still have to learn a lot more…"

"All humans never stop to learn. Either they already reached their destination or not. Since humans never stop to learn, you'll never become an official medical ninja then."

Sakura snickered. "Humph, funny. And you are, Shijirou-san? There shouldn't be much you can do as a battle ninja."

The old man sighed. Now Sakura could saw him in his real age. Old and tired. "If only I'm younger… Thesia might be a skilled ninja like you…"

"Thesia?"

"My granddaughter. The only family left for me. She is a pretty girl like you. Her eyes are so beautiful. But they aren't functioning now," Shijirou said as his eyes had a sad glance.

"Why is that? Because a disease?" asked Sakura curiously.

The old man shook his head. "No. I myself actually don't know why. The doctors we have seen said it was their first met this strange case. The eyes don't have any disease. They don't have anything wrong too let alone wound. It's just as if it stopped functioning."

Sakura silenced, didn't know what to say to comfort the old man in front of her. Shijirou continued. "That shocked her. She used to want to be a talented shinobi. But now she hates shinobi. I know it's not that one can't become a shinobi because blind—just like your friend, it's just she has no talent other than dancing and create maps. And… to create maps she needs her eyes…"

"But you are a shinobi now. Don't you afraid?"

"Of what?"

"Of course, being hated by her. You said she hates shinobi, right?"

"Yes. But it's okay if she hates me now. When I reached my goal, I'll ditch that shinobi title."

Sakura smiled. "The way of you talk about her… she sounded so precious to you."

"Of course. Didn't I say that she is my only family now?"

Sakura sighed dreamily. "Her dancing must be beautiful. I wanna see it…"

"That's why," Shijirou's voice sounded determined. "I must be a talented enough medical ninja and cure my granddaughter's eyes. No matter what."

Sakura frowned. "Old man, you could just be a doctor. You don't need to be a medical ninja. Doctors and medical ninjas both study medic. The difference is a doctor doesn't need to combat. Battlefields now and then don't and never cooperate well with old men. Just see our Sandaime (Third Hokage). He is older than you and he died in battlefield so quit from it before you do die."

Shijirou looked down. The orange looking ground picked his interest now. "May be you are right that for an old man like me, being a doctor is more suitable. But do you know? Medic ninjas information network are wider. Didn't I say that I'll cure my granddaughter's eyes no matter what? That also means I'll do it even it is forbidden or taboo."

"Stubborn old man. Don't blame me if one day me and my team after you for being a lawbreaker. I did tell you."

Shijirou grinned. "I'll look forward if you can catch me."

"So that reason is valid with your lust of blue glow plant too, right?"

He scratched his chin. "Well if you put it that way…" then he grinned, "Actually, I already have three blue glow plants on my hands." He showed what he clutched in his hand. Indeed, there WERE blue glow plants.

Sakura wide eyed. "Old man, when and how—?" she lost her words.

Shijirou grinned confidently. "Well, this old man has his own ways…"

Sakura sighed. "Really…"

:-:-:-:-:-:

It was a mere afternoon in Konoha Hospital. The sun ray met with the white color of the building. Doctors and nurses buzzing around from room to room, some checking patients, some others consulting patients, and etc. A sight that anyone could find in any hospital. In one of the rooms, a doctor with short and neat dark grey hair was reading and checking some hospital files. His brown eyes were moving right and left behind the glasses. He was in deep concentration so he didn't notice one of the hospital nurse entered his room and waiting for him to notice her. But since he didn't, the nurse called him.

"Doctor."

The said doctor snapped from his concentration and accidentally let his works fell from the table.

"Oh, it's you. What is it?" he quickly smiled and started to pick the papers from the floor.

The nurse bent down and helped him. "Sorry to startle you, doctor. I didn't mean to."

"Ah, it's okay. I didn't notice you so it's my fault. So, why do you call me?"

"It's your patient. She comes for the usual check," answered the nurse as she stood up because there was no paper left to pick. The doctor stood up too and looked at the calendar on his table.

"Ah, yes. I forget that this day is her time to check. Can you tell her to wait me in the usual place?" asked the doctor.

The nurse nodded and left the room. The doctor quickly tidied his works and after finished he left to the place where his patient was waiting.

When he entered the room, he met a girl in her sixteen, with long light blue colored hair that reached her waist. She has bandage wrapped around her eyes as a teller that her eyes were not functioning. But despite the fact that she couldn't see, she turned to the door and smiled.

"Good afternoon, Yuhgosaki-sensei," she greeted the doctor with her melodic voice.

The doctor sighed. "Man, how many times I should tell you to just call me Hakuto? By the way, how can you know it is me who entered the room? It can be not me, you know."

"I just thought that your family name is more… manly than your little name. And I always know it is you who will enter this room because your room is like the one in those haunted house and the doctors and the nurses won't enter it for unnecessary business," she smiled again as she heard the doctor growled.

"Oh my, it's just because this room is rumored to be haunted it doesn't mean it is. This room is just built from the old corpse room. What a chicken are they…" Yuhgosaki growled as he went to his desk and looked for her files while continued. "Because of that, I had to borrow the main office every-single-day of my turn to wait for the nurse or doctor that brings the information about new or old patients that come to see me."

"Don't blame them. They just wanted to be… safe."

"I.am.NOT blaming them. I'm blaming to those who gave me this cursed room for being rumored. In truth, I never see any wandering soul in this room." After he finished talking he found the file and stood up.

The girl chuckled. "That means you are known as the bravest doctor."

"But sadly not the best… So Thesia, where's your grandfather? He always accompanies you at every check. Is he buying some drinks?" asked Yuhgosaki.

"He said he is going with his teammates to train. But he isn't comeback yet since yesterday…"

"Oh, I see…" then he noticed something, "Wait a minute. That not means you came here alone, does it?"

"What if I am? I may blind, but I can do things."

"It's not the 'I can do things' part. But it is safe or not part! You should inform me if you are going alone!! What should I say to that protective grandfather of yours if you missing! I'm the first one he would kill!!"

"Then I won't be missing."

"It's easier to say."

"So, are you going to check me or not?" asked Thesia impatiently.

"I'd very appreciate if you don't become more and more like your grandfather…" Yuhgosaki said as he took a seat in front of her and began to open the bandage.

"I can't help it. I'm living with him and sees him in twenty-four hours long," said Thesia matter-of-factly.

"Now that's what your grandpa would say…" Yuhgosaki said as he finished took the bandage off. "Open your eyes."

Thesia tried to open her eyes. But a stinging pain attacked her eyes. "I can't. It hurts."

"You still?" receiving a nod, Yuhgosaki sighed. He looked at Thesia's closed eyes sadly. A feeling of guilt was entering and filling his heart. "I'm sorry, Thesia, I couldn't be a good enough doctor to cure you. What kind of untalented doctor am I? I wish I could help people if I'm a doctor. But I guess," he looked to his hands. "I'm not 'strong' enough. I'm sorry."

"Hey! Quit being a worrywart! I'm not blind because of you in case you forget. Beside, a good doctor receives his talent because of experience, right? So, if you can cure me that mean you are a very good doctor! I'm your tool to learn! Doctors and patients should not have any feelings!" exclaimed Thesia. Yuhgosaki looked at her with a strange expression.

"Yeah, you are right…" and he continued his check.

Later at the afternoon, Thesia walked home alone. She insisted to be okay alone. Yuhgosaki of course wouldn't agree easily though, but at last—being a stubborn—she won. If she could see, she would stare to the ground all the way.

"A doctor and a patient should not have any feelings, huh…" she mumbled and then she made a disappointed sound. "Hmph. I wonder what I feel towards that worrywart…" she continued to walk. She didn't realize where her feet bring her too but when she regained her conscious, she knew she was in a quiet park.

She sighed. Her mind was going to explode if she thinks too much. So she let it out. "Where are my memories anyway? Who am I? Why my grandfather seemed so sad if we talk about where I come from? And why, why my eyes are BLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIND??!"

:-:-:-:-:-:

_/Sniff… sniff/_

_Some one is crying, but… who?_

_/Why?/_

_Why what?_

_/Why… sniff… those monsters… did this…?/_

_Monsters?_

_/If… only we… are stronger… sniff…/_

_/We can't help it. We are just plants anyway…/_

_Another one? This time is a boy's sound…_

_/But! Someone can do something! I know!/_

_/But who? Animals and other plants won't help us since they are too strong, let alone this place is too dangerous to enter. And humans can't see and hear us!/_

_Uuhh…_

Rhaera woke up now. All dark—of course it was—since he was blind. But now since he was awake, he could swear he was amazingly safe, mentioning the fact that he fell from somewhere high up there. If only Naruto was conscious at that time… wait. NARUTO?? Where the heck was that blonde now?? He was lucky enough to not hurt because he fell on something soft. Soft… No. Don't tell…

Rhaera quickly got up and search at the previous place where he sat. Just as he thought. He fell on Naruto. If he survived, it was a much more magnificent miracle. Suddenly he felt the body he touched moving.

"Huh… glad… you… finally… awake…" Naruto's voice was raspy. "I was… beginning to think… that I'm… gonna be a good… pressed human…"

Rhaera quickly took Naruto and placed one of his arms under the blonde's neck to support him. "Hey! Don't die yet!"

Naruto smiled but quickly erased by his cough. He held his palm in front of his mouth and found blood on it when he drew it back. He coughed blood. And when someone coughed blood, no good things happened in that someone's body. Even he was not a medical ninja, he could tell that Naruto had internal bleedings. And if he didn't get Naruto to hospital or a doctor, he might be…

"Naruto! We have to get out of here, fast! But firstly, I must give first aid for your wounds. So, which one is hurt?" asked Rhaera plainly but fastly.

"Well… to make it… short… my body… is… hurting all over…" Naruto's heaved breath preventing him from speaking smoothly. Why Kyuubi's chakra didn't work? May be because his wounds were too many and bad.

"Just tell me which one is that most hurt!"

"My chest… and my… left leg…" Naruto coughed again. He never expected that it was so hard to just speak. Rhaera touched his chest to see what's wrong and it was answered by a hiss.

"It looks like some of your ribs are broken. I can't move you around freely if this is your condition," Rhaera explained his conditions.

"Just… get my ass… out of this… fucking place..!" growled Naruto before coughing again.

"I want to but since your body is too badly injured you will surely die if I move you around," said Rhaera as he observed Naruto for minor injuries.

"Do you think… whose… fault is it… in the… first place..? By the way… I'll not die… by… just moving… —cough— around…"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry for fell on you. Quit being stubborn won't you? It's not gonna help either of us. And what do you expect from moving around with this kind of injuries? You are already struggling hard and coughing to just speaking."

Naruto could only sigh hearing that. Rhaera was true. Speaking made his chest moved a little and that 'little' made him coughed in pain. He could only wait for Rhaera to finish his job giving first aid to him. When the green haired archer finished, he stood up and started to walk away.

"Where… are you… —cough— going..?" asked Naruto. There was no way the archer would leave him behind wouldn't he?

"I'll look for exit. Don't worry, I won't leave you behind. I think this place is safe enough for you to wait for me." With that, the archer walked away and gone from Naruto's vision.

Rhaera walked as long as if it was forever. He occasionally met with branch tunnels but no more or less than that.

_/They began attacking again…/_

Rhaera abruptly stopped. He used to hear the voice low and unclear but this time it was as clear as if the voice was speaking right beside him. He looked to his right. He could feel the tunnel wall with his hands. But his body automatically decided to relax a bit, took a step back, and began walking right towards the wall. Rhaera expected to hit a wall but the truth he wasn't even feel the wall. He continued walking, ignoring his feelings to stop and go back to Naruto. It was as if his body was programmed to walk automatically. After a moment he began to hear those voices again.

_/Someone is coming!/_

_/Stop worrying too much! As if anybody can see let alone hear us!/_

_/But..! This person's aura is different!/_

_/Different? In what way?/_

_/Uhh… I don't know, it's just… the aura felt similar…/_

_/Similar? To what?/_

_/To… the guys in 'that' place…/_

This caught Rhaera's attention. He stopped to hear more.

_/What?? Then he or she can see and hear us! This is not good!/_

_/But! Doesn't it mean that he or she can help us?/_

_/Are you kidding?? Those people from that place bring nothing but death!/_

Rhaera had been walking again and now he was near to the source of the voices.

"Sshh! He or she can hear us, remember?"

"Hah! He or she maybe doesn't care about us and is pretending to not to hear we—"

"Who doesn't care about you two?" asked the archer.

The voices abruptly stopped as if the owners were in shock.

"H-ha-haa- Hakai aniki, he reeeaaallyy can hear us…" said the girly voice, frightened. She was a little girl that looked like a five years old girl. But if Rhaera could see, he would find that this girl was no ordinary. Her skin, eyes, and hair has the same color of the blue glow and glowing like the plants. Her hair was short and bobbed but she was cute and innocent looking.

"C-c-calm down, Akaki. I think he is blind. If we can trick him correctly, we can run for safe…" said the boyish voice (this must be Hakai), trying to calm the girl called Akaki down but actually he was as frightened as his sister. Hakai was nearly no different from his sister. For short description, he was the male version of Akaki and his hair that reached his shoulder was tied into a small and loose ponytail.

"I'm sorry if I'm blind, but at least give me a reason of why you two are frightened of me. I have no clue of why a blind boy like me could be scary in your eyes. Who are you anyway?" said Rhaera plainly but his words told enough about how annoyed he was.

Akaki and Hakai looked at each other then to Rhaera.

"You don't have a clue about who are we?" asked Akaki.

"That's why I asked."

"Don't tell me you even don't have a clue about 'what' you are…" said Hakai. This caught Rhaera's attention.

"What am I? I don't know who am I or what I am because I lost my memory. If you don't mind, please tell me about who I am," said Rhaera, a bit hurried.

The brother and sister looked at each other, sending unvoiced thoughts.

/Well, why don't we test him?/ asked Hakai telepathically to Akaki.

"Test me about what?" asked Rhaera.

"Well, he really _is_ from 'that' place. He can hear my telepathy," said Hakai.

"Could someone who is kind enough, fill me in?" Rhaera obviously confused.

"We will tell you. But you must help us!" said Akaki enthusiastically.

"That's right! You must help us to get rid of those monsters!!" Hakai continued.

"You don't mean… those giant plants, do you?" asked Rhaera still plainly as ever but in his heart, he was thinking that this would be very troublesome.

Akaki nodded. "Of course! We know who knows their weakness but we are too weak and… a coward to do it."

"Akaki! We may weak but we are not a coward!" exclaimed Hakai.

"Oh, yeah? So who is the one that was shivering in fear when they drained our friends' life?!" shouted Akaki.

"Drained your friends' life? So those ninjas are your friends?" asked Rhaera.

"No idiot! Our friends are another blue glow plants!!" yelled Hakai.

"Huh?"

"Oh yeah, we forgot to introduce ourselves! I'm Akaki and this is my older bro Hakai. We are… uh… how to say it?" asked Akaki to herself.

Her brother answered for her. "We are one of the blue glow plants' soul."

"What?!" Rhaera of course wouldn't believe it so easily. By the way, if they were really souls, how could he hear them?

"Look, we know it's hard to believe since most of the humans are stupid enough to do not have the ability to hear or see us let alone touch us. But as you can se— hear, we are really souls…" said Hakai.

"Humans often called us 'fairy' for short. But we are not much different from any other living things. Our souls are just strong enough to left our body without die trying and project ourselves in spirit mode to be enough for 'your kind' to be seen. But still, most of the humans can't see, hear, or touch us," Akaki explained as simple as possible.

Rhaera was silent for a moment to collect his thoughts. He could never believe such a ridiculous 'explanation' but wondering and doubting wouldn't bring him to anywhere. Then a thought came to his brain. "And I'm one of those exceptions. But why?"

"That's what we are going to tell you if you agreed to help us," said Hakai.

"And I must get rid of those annoyingly annoying gigantic plants, mustn't I?" asked Rhaera mockingly.

"Yup! Because those strange buddies decided that our friends' soul is their favorite meal of the day." Hakai answered in the same mocking tone.

"They eat… souls?" asked Rhaera unbelievably. It sounds like Shinigami (God of Death) but in giant plant form.

"They love humans' blood and life energy too!" Akaki added in a strangely cheerful tone. Maybe because if there was human(s) their 'friends' wouldn't decrease so much.

"But how should I do that task? I was forced to surrender previously…" asked Rhaera.

"Hey, didn't we tell you that we know the one that knows their weakness? We are going to bring you to her! But… doesn't that mean you are agreed help us?" asked Akaki.

Rhaera shrugged. "As if there's another choice for me. But I'll do it if I think I can, okay?"

"Don't worry! If you, we know you can!" Hakai persuaded.

Rhaera thought again. "Okay. But if I do it, promise me to help me to get out of this place once I done."

"We promise! No, we swear!" exclaimed the two fairies.

Rhaera then began to walk.

"Wait! Where are you going? The place is there!" said Hakai as he pointed his index finger to the opposite direction from Rhaera was now.

"I'm going to my friend. My friend is injured and need a good medical treatment right away. Do you mind?" asked Rhaera coldly.

Akaki shook her head. "No. But the person that we are going to bring you to is good at medic."

Rhaera got the point. "All right; I'll bring him to her."

:-:-:-:-:-:

"Oneee-saaamaaa! We bring a 'gueeesstt'!" said Akaki in a sing-song tone when they entered one of the tunnel's deep parts. If Rhaera could see, he would see that this part was almost an open field. The ground was so wide and the ceiling was high plus the fact that it was the only part of the cave that received sunlight. Because there was a large hole at the ceiling that took half of the ceiling size. And it was very colorful because many plants that similar to the blue glow plants were there. The difference was only their color. Some were red; others were green, yellow, purple, and any other color you can see in rainbow. The unique smell of the plants filled Rhaera's sharp nose.

"Blue glow?" he wondered out loud.

"No," came a melodious voice of a lady. "They are the flowers that called The Seven Glow. They are similar to the blue glow but they are not blue glow."

For those who can see, they will definitely sigh: "Wow, she is beautiful…" and will fail to find a reason to hate her. She was a beautiful lady in her twenty with a very long brown hair; so long till it could reach her knees. Her eyes were jade colored and shine brilliantly under the soft ray of sunlight. Her long hair was tied into three low braids; one on the right, one on the left, and one on back. She wore a simple white blouse and white skirt that covered her legs until in the middle of her calf of legs. She wore nothing on her leg but she has silver bracelets on her wrists.

"Well, it's so rare to have a guest. Or I rather say I never have a guest. You are my first guest since I stay here." She looked to Rhaera and Naruto who was on Rhaera's back. She smiled warmly and then said, "Anyway, welcome to my private garden."

:-:-:-:-:-:

Ended on: January 13, 2005

**I have no mood for author notes now. I just wanted to ask: I don't give a good conflict yet, don't I? I know this when one of my best friends told me that. That's why; my story is not so interesting yet. I'm a slow type in conflict. Anyway, enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review.**


	8. Scroll 7: You Should Leave

**#::Hidden Spirits: Village Hunting & Side Effect::#  
****A Naruto Fan-fiction -- Sequel from 'Hidden Spirits'  
****By: _Climax_**

**Disclaimer for ALL chapters: Do not and never own Naruto. Except this story plot, idea, and my own characters I create on this story.**

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
Scroll 7: You Should Leave  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

She smiled warmly and then said, "Anyway, welcome to my private garden."

Rhaera gaped in unbelievably and awe. "Your… private garden?"

She chuckled lightly. Her voice was really a clear one. "Ah, yes. No one will expect a vulnerable looking woman like me to be in this dangerous place and claiming this little part of the cave to be her 'private garden'. But I have no other choice."

What did she mean by 'this little part of the cave'? This place was no little. Even if Rhaera couldn't see it, he could 'feel' it from the wind blow and the long echo that resounded through the cave. "What do you mean by you have no other choice?" asked Rhaera.

She just smiled sadly and said, "Because there is no 'place' for me to stay out there. Besides, I can't leave my husband."

Rhaera became more confused. "Your husband?"

She decided to change the topic. "By the way, the name is Arsunta. Yours is?"

"Rhaera." He answered shortly.

Arsunta raised her eyebrows. "Isn't it a girl name?" she asked softly in tone.

Angry veins popped on the archer's forehead. "I'm one hundred percent human boy. But it looks like the one who named me was desperate to have a daughter…" that stated clearly that he was detested by that topic.

"Oh, sorry. And who is that boy on your back? He looks so terrible." She pointed Naruto who was unconscious and looked no better than a shinobi that had just came home from a war.

Rhaera was totally forgotten about Naruto. All those things that came up into his mind made him. And Naruto was not too heavy for a trained shinobi too.

"He is my teammate. He… was injured because of the monsters, blue glow poisonous pollens, and me," Rhaera said it as honestly as possible.

"Hmm…" Arsunta decided to not comment about that.

"I, I heard from Akaki and Hakai that you can do something about his wounds…" Rhaera quickly added.

"That's right. If you are wounded, you came to the right person. Put him down, I'll take my herbs and medicine. Boys these days…" she added a sigh as she walked away. Rhaera didn't care much to complain. He put the stubborn blonde down carefully, trying to not make too many movements. Then he looked to the two fairies.

"You don't mind if we stand on these flowers?" asked Rhaera. He needed to be more careful to plants since their 'friends' were here. The two shook their head.

"Don't worry, we don't mind. Glowing plants like us won't die easily by just stomped on. Though we don't like it…" said Akaki.

"Sorry."

"You don't need to apologize! It's not our body you are standing at so we don't mind!" Hakai said cheerfully. If they have byakugan, they could see that Rhaera narrowed his eyes. The way Hakai said those words… the little fairy seemed to hold so much grudge against the seven glow flowers. Maybe it was because they didn't get enough sun while these flowers did.

"Do you hate them? I mean, these flowers," asked Rhaera to make sure his prediction.

"No. Just jealous." Then Hakai glared to the flowers with a glare that could melt steel but sadly not burn those plants.

"You should stop being jealous to them, Hakai…" Arsunta's voice came into their conversation. "They have a hard job, you know…" she said as she proceeded towards Naruto with a basket of medicines and herbs at the crook of her right elbow and a bucket of water with white towel on her hands.

"I can't. They have all these sunlight when we live in dark together with those monsters as their decoy. I can't easily and silently sit on my roots with this kind of destiny and life," said Hakai, determined.

Arsunta remained silent. She concentrated her job in treating Naruto's wounds. But no one noticed the strange look she gave to Naruto.

"But aniki, as we have our job, they have a job too. And that job is a heavy task to support this frail cave to not collapse entirely and rebuild this cave's life. We got our job because we aren't qualified enough to do that. Our roots are too short," Akaki tried her best to calm her big brother down but the said brother didn't.

"Just wait when I have the power to _freeze_ this cave so they won't be needed anymore…" Hakai hissed dangerously. If he had an adult's voice, his words would be scary enough to scare those cute animals (i.e. rabbits, pigeons, chicks, etc).

That did it. "Hakai, you are to remain silent." Arsunta said it in a very polite manner that could match a queen of a kingdom but some of the words' tones were spicy enough to make Hakai shut his terrible mouth. Akaki couldn't help it but glad that there was an adult here and now.

Arsunta asked Rhaera if she was allowed to take Naruto's shirt off once she was done at tending minor injuries including the poison part. Rhaera said that it was not his privacy but Naruto's; but at the end he allowed her. Due the fact that Rhaera mentioned that Naruto had broken ribs, Arsunta tried her best to not move the boy too much. Broken ribs are more painful than broken leg or hand because you'd found that it was hurt when you breath steadily, let alone harshly.

After the shirt was gone, Arsunta checked how bad it was Naruto's ribs by pressing a few spots lightly. Naruto flinched a bit when the lady pressed her finger then palm in the middle of his chest and groaned loudly when she checked his back. But none of her actions made the blond shinobi woke up. Maybe he was exhausted enough to just breathing.

Rhaera had nothing to do while Arsunta was treating Naruto. If he had good eyes, he surely would watch her in great interest. But it was an 'if'. Decided he shouldn't push himself too much or he would ended up like Naruto —more or less— he rested his back and head against the flowers. It was very nice bed than he could imagine. The flowers' petals and stems were so soft. This place was sure a good for sleeping and relaxing place. Not to mention the warm sun ray and the soft breeze of the wind. It wasn't long before he admitted his defeat and fell into light but relaxing slumber. But before he completely gave up, his mind wondered to where and what were the two fairies doing.

While Rhaera was lulled into sleep and now he was, Arsunta was tore between treating Naruto's ribs and observing the seal on his belly. The seal strangely reminded her of something and definitely charmed her curiosity. But she decided to finish her job first. It took longer than she thought. Maybe it was because her eyes were moving from her work to the seal and to the work again continuously. But still, she finished before Rhaera woke up. Her mind wondered briefly about where Akaki and Hakai. But at the next second she noticed that the two were gone for their weekly job of observing the cave, checking if there were any living things in this cave beside intruders. Not that they resent it, they carved for it. Arsunta knew what exactly happened in this cave that made it lack of living things beside strong flowers like them and her self. She even knew more than those fairies.

Yeah, all happened because of _that_. She mused as she touched her bracelets. The last defense of this cave. If these bracelets were either destroyed or left this cave, this cave would be a history. She looked to her patient's belly, seeing a unique seal on it. She could feel it. The strong chakra that was more than enough to be able to destroy two or more mountains. She went back to her memory again. If anyone who was old enough would remember what this cave was once, they'd remember how sacred this place was; the place where the strong power of wood sleep. And the bracelets, was made to protect it. But now this cave was no more than the place where she spent her remaining life and also the place where her husband sleep. And that power… it wasn't vanished. It was inactive.

It was the flowers that made the cave still remain as a cave till now. Although it was a great effort to grow their roots to be long enough to support the cave. She had to put the greatest genjutsu she has to prevent intruders for coming here and used her power to make this cave was a much greater and bigger maze than before. After done for security, she had to make a hole on the ceiling to give the flowers as much sunlight and moonlight as possible. Of course, she needed to place another protection for the huge hole.

But why she sacrificed that much for just the cave? She was more than capable to leave the cave. What a good time to remember her reason and memory. The reason why the cave was sacred was; because it was the only place where the souls could be seen with bare eyes. Although only in this part, some other parts were contained with pure life power that could strengthen the souls and the beasts. And this was the place where one of the strongest beasts, Kyuubi no Youko, once slept.

Thinking about that bloodlust but at the same time idiot fox, had bring a sad smile across her face. His fights with her husband were absolutely ridiculous but serious at once. They fight as friends, not enemies. But it wasn't the fights; it was her fault to make the Kyuubi attacked Konoha.

Okay, enough thinking about sad things. What matters was now. She glanced at the waking up archer who apparently was trying to suppress his yawn but failed. She watched the archer appearance. It brought some déjà vu but she didn't know where she ever seen him. Then something caught her eyes. Black and rectangular earrings. That hit a button in her brain.

"Where do you come from?" asked Arsunta to Rhaera once the said archer finally 100 percent —or so she thought— active.

Rhaera was a bit sleepy, but he caught nobody was around except he, Arsunta, and Naruto. But he knew Naruto was not conscious. "You are talking to me?" he asked just to make sure.

"Yes." Arsunta didn't bother to nod. It was useless to nod when the one who supposed to know could not see it.

"Where I come from… hmm… I don't know what you're meaning, but I'm from Konoha right now. I have been staying in Konoha for three years." It didn't take long for him to think about his answer.

If he could see, he would see a suspicious brunette lady in front of him. Her eyes narrowed, and suspiciously watching he and his aura. Why a person from _that_ place bothered to stay in Konoha for three years? "I mean, before you _came_ to Konoha…"

"I don't know," Rhaera answered shortly. He felt a strange feeling that Arsunta was interrogating him.

Arsunta's eyes narrowed until half of her eyes closed. "Amnesia?"

Rhaera nodded. That explained the three years part in Konoha. Akaki and Hakai were back when they noticed something wrong. At least, at Arsunta only. Arsunta stood up, she didn't notice Akaki and Hakai yet. Her eyes became so sharp till you could think that she hated the one that in front of her — lips quivered, but her voice was calm, "I'm sorry, but I think you should leave. Now."

Rhaera faced her with confused a look. "I will, but I'd already promised to Akaki and Hakai to get rid of those monsters. And they said you know how to get rid of them."

"Never mind, I'll do it." Before she could has a change to expel Rhaera again, the fairies interrupted them.

"Wait! Nee-sama! You can't do that!!" shouted Akaki — her face was in pure horror and worry. Her brother was no different. They ran towards Arsunta and stop to hug the brunette lady.

"If you do that, they would be—!" Hakai started but Arsunta's determined glare stopped him.

"I know. There's a big chance that person would know where I am. But regardless, from the start the monsters are here because of me. So it's my responsibility to get rid of those monsters."

"But nee-sama…" Is it just Rhaera's imagination or Hakai was really sobbing? "We can't let you do that…"

"And I can't let you two suffer anymore."

"The hell with losing friends! That person would do something much more horrible if he get you in tow…" Hakai buried his face in Arsunta's cloth, preventing anybody to see his expression. Arsunta smiled warmly to those two fairies. She strokes their shining blue hairs with care.

"Shh… Hakai, you shouldn't say that. No matter what happens, they are still your friends. You mustn't dump them so easily like that." Before Hakai could protest, all two humans and two fairies heard a groan.

It was Naruto. Probably he had a hard time having his sleep with those shouting around. Rhaera quickly went to his side (while Arsunta and the others shut their mouth) to prevent in case the blonde would try to get up. Ribs are not nice to get up when they are broken. "Ngghh… who the… hell is that..? Shouting… around… I'm… going to… skin that… person… alive…" Naruto wake or not was no different. Not as loudmouthed as his wake version but still, his language needed to be watched — although his voice lacked of scarily threatening tone…

Naruto felt nothing but dizziness on his head and numbness all over his body. This was good since his fogged mind barely remembered that he had broken ribs. He opened his eyes and what welcomed his sight was a soft ray of sunlight. Correction: sunlight and a huge hole on the cave's ceiling that he registered as the source of the light. He tried to get up but his numb body prevented him to even move his hands.

"Have you already waked up?" asked Rhaera. It sounded so far but he did hear the archer clearly.

"Almost." Naruto managed to mumble and surprised how raspy his voice sounded.

He decided to survey the area since he couldn't get up. There was Rhaera, nearly towering him. That was reasonable since he was wounded and no Sakura around to tend him. He moved his eyes. He found colorful glowing things; he wasn't sure since his sight still a fuzzy. His sight became clearer as he found a brunette lady and two glowing kids. Just a mere sight. Wait. When you found a lady in such dangerous cave, could you say it was a _mere_ sight? Moreover, no human that has the ability to make their body glowing BLUE. Yep, no one.

Instead of screaming like a girl in horror, Naruto found an unthinkable strength to get up and point his index finger to Akaki and Hakai. "Wh-wha-t are they?"

Everybody including Rhaera excluding Arsunta blinked (though no one could see that Rhaera did blink). "He can see us?" asked Akaki. Meanwhile Hakai, "Is he ACTUALLY can hear us?"

"Yes he can." Everybody turned to Arsunta. "Everybody can see and hear you. But only in this place…"

"Why is that? And why don't you tell us?" asked Akaki rather forcing.

"It is…"

"Hey! I'm not a statue for your information! Stop ignoring me, you lecherous brats!!" Naruto interrupted. Hakai and Akaki glared him in a brat's way as if screaming 'who did you call lecherous brats??' But Naruto —who was sitting now, thanks to Rhaera's help— gave the two fairies a glare that was daring them to 'don't be a chick and come here to finish this problem, NOW'. And neither of the two sides seemed will back off soon. Kids.

"Naruto, lay back." Rhaera commanded crisply before they had a bloody fight around.

"Akaki, Hakai, sit." Arsunta was doing the same way. But nothing could stop the fairies and the blonde for having a quarrel.

"Not until I make those lecherous brats know how to respect a going to be Hokage." Naruto prepared his fists though his injuries wouldn't let him throw a punch.

"Not until we make that sonofabitch regrets underestimating we the blue glows' souls." Hakai was the only one who spoke those 'must-be-watched' words but the two fairies had their own fighting stance.

Rhaera tried his best to have his patience remained. "Naruto, a Hokage is not childish like you. Now sit down before I kick your ribs to force you." His tone was as plain as always, but how could it be as threatening as rarely.

"Hakai, where did you learn those _unlicensed_ languages?" Arsunta's voice contained poison.

Ignoring the tone in Arsunta's voice, Hakai calmly explained. "From those previous intruders. When they got a trap on their way they said 'bitch', 'son of bitch', 'what the hell', 'fu—"

"Enough." Arsunta had to interrupt before the blue fairy said all those illegal vocabularies before she reached for their heads and pushed them down to the ground. At the same time Rhaera slapped Naruto's back before he said any provoking words.

Naruto's injured ribs made the pain doubled. He whined in pain before shouting in rage.

"What's that for??"

"For the sake of peace."

"What's the mean of that?!"

"That means I told you to silence." Rhaera said in a military tone. He paused to see Naruto's disagreed face and continue before the blonde had the chance to protest. "Your noisy rants are inviting monsters." It was a lie. Everybody knew that.

"Uh… Rhaera, I hope you are lying…" Akaki's face was in pure horror. Meanwhile Hakai lost his tongue.

"Of course I'm lying. I'm not a fortune teller or something right?" he asked. Why would they buy his unserious words?

"You think you are not. But we think you are…" Hakai finally found his voice.

"Get to the point brats." Naruto grumbled impatiently. He would be tapping his foot if he could stand.

Arsunta narrowed her eyes. She already sensed it from the time Rhaera spoke his lie but she thought this one would pass the genjutsu.

"Those monsters…"

Arsunta didn't need to finish. The said monsters did it for her. They rampaged through the not so big entrance causing some parts of the tunnel collapsed. All of them could feel the shaking ground from the rocks fall.

"Oh, man! I don't need any collision _again_ right now!!" whined Naruto. True, he had more than enough back then. Three times including _this_. He really-really-really and really wanted to— to show what he made of to those plants but sadly his body wouldn't allow him. How ironic, Rhaera had began his assault meanwhile he, this Hokage cadet, was as useful as sitting duck. Geez, what would Sasuke say if that Mr. Show-Off (sadly genius) had been here? He would snicker, mocking at Naruto's weakness and uselessness, and then— and then… AARRRGHHH!! Just the thought of it made his blood boiled!!!

You doesn't have to think about it when it annoys you…

If Naruto was drinking, he would choke it. He rarely heard that voice but he was more than certain of whose voice was that. _That_ ungrateful Kyuubi; no doubt.

_'How could you??'_ Naruto didn't have to continue his mind screaming.

I don't exactly sure, but this place has a strange but strong power to lessen the seal power.

_'You aren't going to escape, are you?'_ the blonde's voice was more a question than a threat.

You want me to try?the fox asked gleefully.

_'Good luck. But there is no space for you 'cause have more than enough monsters here.'_ He grumbled mentally. Then a brilliant thought came from his brain. _'Wait. If the seal's power is lessen, then you could heal me faster, right?'_

I can. But with that kind of wounds you have, it won't one hundreds percent healed.said the Kyuubi honestly. There was a limit on everything of course.

_'Would you rather die with me in a _low ranked_ monster hand than heal me? I don't believe you are the most arrogant monster that ever attacked Konoha…'_ Naruto pressed his tone in 'low-ranked' to get what he wanted.

I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm a beast.

Naruto rolled his eyes. _'Isn't it the same?'_

No. It is different.

Naruto was going to retort back when a thick branch slammed to the ground of his side, barely missing his body. Naruto could hear a voice that shouting his name from the other side of the field. But he wasn't sure whose voice was that. The sound of a thick branch lifted from a ground was the cause.

_'So, are you going to heal me or not?'_ yelled the blonde.

Why should I say no?The Kyuubi asked as Naruto felt the hot red chakra was emerging from his stomach and on its way to all parts of his body. Not long, he felt the pain at his ribs was lessening.

The giant plants thankfully distracted by Rhaera's attack. So he had the time to yell and the Kyuubi had the time to heal him.

"HEY, YOU IRRITATING-MONSTROUS-UNFORGIVEABLE-PLANTS!! LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT I'M MADE OF!!" Immediately Naruto's voice rang and echoing through the cave. Everybody (the Kyuubi almost swear he did see the plants) sweat-dropped.

::Sigh::. That's why I was refusing to heal you. You are embarrassing.

_'I'm afraid that's my business…'_ the blonde shot back sarcastically though his face was flushed by embarrassment.

The kyuubi was saying 'whatever' when Naruto has his kunais on hands and began to attack the monsters with them. But as stubborn as they could be, mere kunais would never work on them.

"NARUTO! AKAKI! Get away from there!!" Arsunta's voice reached his ears. He immediately complied. In this situation, he had no way for being stubborn.

When he was far enough, he felt an enormous chakra from Arsunta. He moved his eyes so he could see the bracelets that Arsunta wore were glowing and changing color from green to blue back to green again. She had brought her palms in front of her chest, in close a position as if they were going to clap each other. Soon, a bluish chakra formed a glowing ball in the middle of her palms. When it was as big as a tennis ball, she thrust her palm forward.

"FIRE ELEMENT! BLUE FIRE!!" Like its name, a blue colored fire shot from the place where the ball of chakra was. The fire quickly burned the thick branches of the monsters. Even Naruto was far away, he felt how hot the fire was. So hot until he felt it was enough to burn him if he came closer a step. The fire finally died down and left a black flower with a clear crystal glass like ball on its center and what was remaining from those monsters.

"Did she do it?" asked Naruto hopefully and doubtfully.

Hakai was the one who answered for him. "No." And he was right. The crystal began to shine brightly as the black flower suddenly moved and from it, grew many vines. Too many if you asked them.

"Uh, oh. Bad feeling." Naruto moaned worriedly.

Quick kills it, kid! Before it recovered!Kyuubi's voice was hurried when the blonde ninja heard it. And later he regretted why he didn't listen to the nine tails.

The vines started to grab any living things nearby. And the unlucky ones were the Seven Glow plants. The black flower started to suck the life out of the plants. And when the life energy was completely sucked from a plant, the said plant ended up like the previous blue glows, black and dried. Naruto could only watch as the black flower consumed a large amount of plants while the fairies have their eyes teary. Arsunta was out of energy until it was hard to stand while Rhaera had drawn his large bow out and aimed his arrow to the black flower.

Unfortunately, when his arrow was shot, the black flower had recovered fully and repelled the attack. This time it was ten times larger than previous. When the previous was a double sized taller than a normal human man and as big as a one floored standard house, this time it was definitely enormous. Its size cost ¾ of the field. Plus the fact that its branches were replaced by thorny vines. Definitely a bad sign. At least, they knew it was monster not monsters.

As a greeting, it attacked Arsunta with its thorny vines. It was more to revenge than a greeting. Naruto reflexively ran and snatched Arsunta away right before the vines could reach her. But the bigger size also means bigger stubbornness.

"AAARRRGGHH!! I thought that fire did a good job getting rid that monster!!" Naruto screamed in frustration. He jumped forward to avoid another vine.

Arsunta tried to say between the commotions. "It should be. But I don't expect that the monster has an astral!!" Naruto halted his feet.

"A— what?"

"I'll explain later. But now, if you don't remove the crystal from that monster, it'll continue to regenerate each time you wounded or nearly kill it!"

When they reached the place where Akaki and Hakai were hiding (the fairies have no power to assault), Naruto placed Arsunta to the ground and quickly went to try Arsunta's advice.

"Rhaera! We need to remove the crystal from the monster so we can kill it!!" shouted Naruto. He him self was drawing another kunais and thrust himself to the monster's black flower.

"Crystal? What crystal?" asked a confused Rhaera. Naruto fought the urge to smack his forehead. He forgot that Rhaera was blind. Oh yeah, there was another way to track the crystal.

"Just aim your punch, kick, or whatever you use to the place where the chakra is the strongest!!"

The fight continued. Naruto desperately tried his best to remove the crystal but he didn't even can get five meters near the black flower. The vines were anticipating him as if they knew that he was aiming for their source of power. Rhaera was no better.

_'Shit! I can't even get close! The kunais and shurikens don't work too! What should I do?'_ he thought hardly as he kept his attacks. Then a brilliant (at the same time dangerous) idea came. _'Wait! How about if I distract the plant's attention and Rhaera use his arrows to hit the crystal? Sounded crazy, but worth trying!'_

"Rhaera! I'll distract the monster! When I give the sign, you fire your arrow with all of your power to our target!" Without bothering Rhaera's shout of 'why', Naruto prepared his palm for his trump card and ran towards the monster at the same time. Blue chakra began to emerge and swirl in his palm as he ran. Meanwhile Rhaera was cursing and had no other choice but prepared his arrow.

When he was near enough, the chakra in his palm was strong enough to be released. He shouted as the ball of chakra was beginning to widen and forming a top and the top was growing bigger, bigger, and bigger. He stopped as he thrust his palm upwards, facing the black flower. "FIRST PART OF RASENGAN TRAINING! SUPER SIZED!!"

The chakra was motivating the air to be a large tornado. Arsunta, Akaki, and Hakai were trying their best to not being flied by the great wind. Rhaera was amazingly keeping his composure. His not shot yet arrow was following the black flower wherever it went at the same time he pulled the bow string as strong as he could and sent his chakra into the arrow. The arrow was glowing with blue chakra now. Meanwhile the plant was spinning upwards in the tornado. When the tornado ceased, Naruto felt that this was the right time. The plant was near out of the cave because of the tornado.

"NOW!!"

Arsunta realized what Rhaera was going to do. "WAIT! You shouldn't—!"

Too late. Rhaera had already fired his arrow. The arrow shot upwards with an incredible power and speeds to its target. The crystal at the center of the black flower hit by the arrow and shattered. When it was shattered, a bright light exploded from it. It was almost the end of the dawn so the light seemed so bright as if it was the sun. Even it was so bright, Naruto could see that the fragments of the crystal were embedding to the cave walls and the walls seemed to absorb them. After a moment, the light was gone leaving an awed group of people (and fairies).

"Wha— what was _that_?" Naruto had to force his voice to speak. He was absolutely in awe but at the same time confused. Even Rhaera, who was blind, had the same opinion. Before anybody could answer the blonde's question, he noticed something glowing fell towards him. He extended his hand to catch whatever it was. It was already strange enough that the falling speed was slow as if it wanted to go to him. When the thing landed on his palm, he noticed that it was a small piece of fragment from the glowing crystal. The size was nearly as big as his necklace. Surprisingly, the thing was warm.

"This is…"

"An astral." Arsunta finished for him. Naruto stared at her as she was an alien but before he could ask anything, the brunette lady continued. "You two should get out of here. Quickly."

"Huh?"

"Why?" Rhaera was beside Naruto now.

"Don't you notice? The cave is livelier now." And she was right. For the first time since they entered this cave, they felt that this cave was… lively now. A lot livelier than previous.

Naruto turned to Arsunta after finished examining the cave. "Why is that? And what is the point that we must leave?"

"That crystal, even it is remained as fragments, contains pure and strong life energy. But it would do no good if the cave received that energy too much. This cave will become more unstable than before. I suggest you two leave when it is still stable." Arsunta's voice was serious and charismatic, made the two boys had no way but believe her.

"But… what should we do with this one?" asked Naruto as he displayed the astral fragment in his palm.

"I suggest you to keep it. A fragment is not as strong as a crystal ball, but it's enough. If you got the full version one, you'll end up seeking more power like that poor flower." She pointed the previously black flower. It was a surprising sight that it was a blue glow flower. Now it was dull and lifeless. No wonder why Akaki and Hakai remained silent in this conversation. Guilty were they felt.

"But before that…" Arsunta took the fragment from Naruto. "Hand me your necklace."

Naruto was confused but he did the demand anyway. He handed the green necklace that was given by Tsunade to the brunette lady in front of him. Arsunta took it and held it in her free hand. Once again, her bracelets started to glow but now bringing the fragment and Naruto's necklace glowing. Then the fragment and necklace floated above her palms. Not long, the green stone at the necklace glow brighter and absorbing the fragment. It looked like the fragment was sending a glowing white liquid to the necklace and the size reducing as the time went. It was not long until the fragment was no more exists and the green stone's color at Naruto's necklace was lighter than before.

Naruto stared at her in awe. A shinobi could do taijutsu, genjutsu, ninjutsu, make or destroy something but could not merge something solid. _'Wow, is she a witch or something?'_

Before Naruto could ask, Arsunta explained what had she done. "I merge the fragment to your necklace so it's easier to keep." She gave Naruto his necklace. "This thing should protect you."

Rhaera eyed her bracelets. The light wasn't gone yet. Why she kept it glowing?

Arsunta turned to face the archer. "Rhaera, before you go, I'll tell you something. Your place is not here, either in Konoha or another hidden village. You should go home as soon as possible once you realized where you are belonging to because… your people need you."

Rhaera was confused. "My people?" He didn't remember having a subordinate or two. Of course, after amnesia. Suddenly the ground shook, interrupting anything he wanted to say.

Arsunta smiled sadly. "It looks like this is the end of our conversation and… meeting, though I want you two ninjas to be able to stay longer. Now, get out of here before this cave burry you."

Naruto and Rhaera were preparing to leave when they noticed that neither Arsunta nor the fairies made a move to save them selves. Naruto stopped and turned.

"Hey! What are you three waiting for? Come on! We must get out of here quickly!" The ground shook harder and on its way to collision. Surprisingly, Arsunta shook her head.

"No. We stay here."

"WHAT?" Naruto stared at her as if she had grown some heads on her body.

"Like I said to Rhaera, there is no place for me to stay outside." Her tone was a mix of sadness and disappointment.

"But—! You'll die!!" protested Naruto.

"I won't." she said colder and more determined than she intended to.

Naruto wasn't lost yet. "If you don't have any place to stay, then I will be the one you could stay at!! I don't mind having a roommate or two!!"

Arsunta smiled at the naivety of Naruto. As they spoke, some earth glaive sprouted from the ground, even she swore she saw some giant roots from some overgrown plants that received too many energy. She realized she should not waste anytime longer. "That's not what I mean."

"Then— ugh!" Naruto's sentence was interrupted by something hard that landed on his head, knocking him unconscious.

Rhaera went alert. But his blind eyes help nothing but disadvantage. "What the—" the next second he too, was knocked out from the land of reality.

The culprit was Akaki and Hakai. They did this because Arsunta ordered them to. Arsunta nodded a 'thank you' to the fairies and turned to the two unconscious boys. She once again collected her power then covered the two boys with a ball shaped shield. The balls began to float to the hole, bringing the two boys out of the cave. She smiled lovingly to the departing boys as the cave began to have its rocks fell.

"Please take care of my son, Kyuubi."

Naruto opened a bit of his eyelids. But his eyes were not blue, they were red as blood. Kyuubi had taken control of him for a moment. Just a moment but enough for the fox to see Arsunta before the a big rock fell right in front of her, providing him to see, and his power to take control ceased.

:-:-:-:-:-:

Ended on: 26th January 2005

**VERY VERY IMPORTANT NOTE (CONVERSATION)! READ IT!! Or you'll be sorry!!**

**Climax: (pouting) Really. It makes me wonder. My user status in says that I have SIX users that insert me to their favorite author and FIFTEEN insert me to their author alert. Even though I know some of them are the ones who read my Star Ocean fanfic, I still wonder; WHY I ONLY GOT ONE REVIEW EACH TIME I POST THIS NARUTO FIC?? Around FIFTEEN users are more than enough to make the reviews on this fic increased to at least twenty!!**

**Orochimaru: Ah shaddup you rascal. It's your own fault. **

**Sasuke: … (watching/staring to both of the people)**

**Climax: (ignoring Oro-chan) YOU KNOW, REVIEWS NOT ONLY MADE THE AUTHORS HAPPY, BUT MAKE THEM ACKNOWLEDGED!! I couldn't help but feel a little jealous to the ones who get (much) more than one hundred reviews. I know I must work hard since I am not a native speaker of English and my ability to make a chapter is limited to five till eight page a week according to Microsoft Word setting of Verdana 9 pt, page setup: letter. Plus I'm so inexperienced in bring out good conflict! Curse to my motto that sounded: 'a good foundation makes a good conflict of a story'! Though I'm still grateful that at least I got (only) one review compared to those who received none. But I'm grateful, NOT SATISFIED. **

**Orochimaru: I said shut up.**

**Sasuke: …………… (still staring, but fighting the urge to sweat-dropped)**

**Climax: (looks like ignoring Orochimaru, but in heart: rage)****What a good timing. I'm interested to make a Full Metal Alchemist fanfic. Should I discontinue this fic to concentrate on that fic and my Star Ocean story? _Your reviews help me decide!_**

**Orochimaru: You are a bad talker. **

**Climax: AAARRGGHH!! Shut up you snake sennin!! I'm the one who have the control in this fic! I can easily kill you!!**

**Orochimaru: No way. Not before I get my turn. When is my turn then?**

**Climax: If you patience enough, you will get it.**

**Orochimaru: I've been waiting for eight chapters, seven scrolls, and do you think I'm not patience enough?? **

**Climax: eyed Orochimaru with suspicious stare Rather than your turn, you actually are waiting for the moment you could put your soul into Sasuke's body, right?**

**Orochimaru: YES!**

**Climax: No way. Not in my fic. You may request to other authors.**

**Orochimaru: FINE! You are the worst author anyway!!**

**Climax: WHAT?? I'm a talented writer! You could say, I'm as talented as Sasuke if I'm a shinobi! You just don't realize it yet.  
**

**Sasuke: This is ridiculous, I'm leaving. (walk away from the scene)**

**Orochimaru: (didn't notice that Sasuke was leaving) You are too proud of yourself!**

**Climax: It's better than lack of spirit! This feeling help me to survive one review per chapter!!**

**And the fight is to be continued to the next chapter…**


	9. Scroll 8: Vegetables and A Legal Way

**:Hidden Spirits: Village Hunting Side Effect:  
****A Naruto Fan-fiction - Sequel from 'Hidden Spirits'  
****By: Climax**

**Disclaimer for ALL chapters: Do not and never own Naruto. Except this story plot, idea, and my own characters I create on this story.**

* * *

Scroll 8: Vegetables and A Legal Way

* * *

Naruto was sitting on a white hospital bed. It was very easy to notice whether this was hospital or not since all hospital have a trademark color— white. He wore a light blue hospital pajamas. His head was covered with white bandages so were his wrists and arms. The curled to shoulder sleeves showed it. His eyes were focused to the bowl of fresh vegetables in front of him, arms folded on his chest. His face was showing resentfulness. But rather than focused eyes, it was a lot more matching if you said: 'glare the vegetables until they shriek and get away from you for the sake of peace'. Indeed it was.

A soft knock didn't get a success to remove his gaze. The door opened and revealed a pink haired girl. It was Sakura. She brought a basket of fruit in her arm. She said a good morning before sighed at the sight of a too focused Naruto.

"Stop it. The vegetables won't burn no matter how long you glare at it." She walked and took a sit at a round chair that was set beside Naruto's bed.

"That damn old pervert sent this" Naruto said as if he didn't hear Sakura. " 'Get better and eat these vegetables. You sure don't want to die by sickness, right?'" Naruto imitated Jiraiya's voice and tone before grumbled"Right. But vegetables are dooming my appetite and mood." Sakura found her self was sweat-dropping at Naruto's childish behavior.

"Well, idiot. You don't have to eat it raw. It may taste horrible if you consumed it raw, but I could cook it into a delicious soup if you ask me properly." She was merely wanted to improve her cooking ability since there had been no good reasons available lately to make her mother let her use the kitchen. Besides, if she wanted to be a good wife for Sasuke, she should practice her (rather terrible) cooking skill right?

Naruto was having his best to keep his expression steady and kept him self from blurting '_You_? Cooking?' because he knew that he should save his neck for the chuunin exam. He let a nervous laugh and thank to her. Luckily a shinobi was taught to not let other people read your emotion so he was quite something in acting.

"I take that as a no. But you don't hate fruits, do you" Sakura received a shook from the blonde. She was peeling an apple when she noticed something.

"Hm? Where's Rhaera? I think he is at the same room as you…" she stared at the neat and empty bed near the window. Naruto snorted, he was chewing banana in his mouth while doing it.

"Oh, _he_. His injuries aren't critical so he is still not allowed to be discharged, but he is allowed to get out of bed. Geez… I saved his ass from the fall by being his landing bed and he is the one who get a good part" the blonde said with a resent tone. Really, to be stay in a hospital bed (that smelled antiseptics) until the chuunin exam was pissing him. He is an overactive shinobi that needs to move every single minute. To be stranded in this kind of place with no entertainment… was really pissing him.

"Be thankful that at least you are allowed to participate to the chuunin exam" Sakura said with a scolding, distinct voice.

Naruto lowered his head. "Yes, ma'am. I'll be thankful but I won't be satisfied…" he said in a doomed tone. He knew something that was a lot better than made Sakura angry.

Sakura decided to change the topic before blood appears. "So, were you serious when you said you don't remember anything that happened when you get out of the cave" Sakura asked curiously. She had been asking the blonde for three times already excluding this. When she and Kakashi found him and Rhaera they had been unconscious and lay on the soft grass near one of the cave exits.

Naruto sighed. "I told you many times Sakura-chan, yes I don't remember anything beside Rhaera fell on me and when I woke and found myself in this injured people's prison."

"Yeah, keep insulting hospitals until one day when you injured and I'm one of the doctors here I'll officially make myself put a poison to your food" she said to Naruto as she threw a look that promising seriousness and dead.

Naruto smirked. It was the playful smirk that he usually uses to tease or insult anybody. "I'll remember that."

Meanwhile, the green haired archer was sitting on a trunk of a tall tree. If he could see, he would stare to the blue sky. His bow and arrows were illegal in hospital so he was forced to play with a very soft rubber ball that won't hurt anybody no matter how hard it hit somebody. He had given up figuring how such a rubber could be this soft. But the softness of this ball made him didn't want to throw it. He decided to enjoy the softness by pressing it by his fingers.

Unlike Naruto who completely forgot, he still remembered the previous events. It was as clear as a tape recorder, especially the 'you should leave' part. It had been echoing in his head painfully.

"What does she mean" he grumbled his frustrated thought out loud.

"Paperworkpaperworkpaperworkpaperworkpaperworkpaperworkpaperworkpaperwork damn paperwork! Why the hell I must do paperwork? Aahh… I want to gamble at pachinko… it has been one month since the last time I date with it…" Tsunade moaned. Her voice could be heard by Shizune through the mountain of papers.

"Tsunade-sama, you can't do that! You have the obligation as Hokage! You cannot leave the paperwork even for an hour, because they'll grow into mountains! And you'll be more tired" said Shizune with a scolding tone.

Even the papers on her desk were resembled to a barricade that avoid she and anybody see to each other eyes, Shizune could feel the glare Tsunade was sending to her.

"Shizune. What the heck is that thing in your arms" Amazingly, Tsunade has an x-ray vision that nearly matched the Hyuugas' Byakugan that let her see what the thing was. I mean, were.

"These are lists of this year's chuunin exam participators." Shizune said as she shifted her hold at the stack of papers.

"And what kind of business they have with paperw— me" her glare was screaming: 'enough paperwork!'.

Shizune shook her head. "Don't worry, Tsunade-sama. I bring them here because I think that these lists are far more interesting than those mission reports. And because I won't let you gamble, I bring these as an entertainment for you."

"Good timing. Bring those to me." She took them from Shizune once they were within her arms reach. She began to flip the pages a little eagerly. She skimmed the pages until she found a similar face with its data beside its photo.

**Name:** Uzumaki Naruto

Age: 15

Village: Konoha

Team number: 7

**Jounin Teacher:** Hatake Kakashi

**Teammates:** Haruno Sakura, Rhaera

**Description:** a loud mouthed, well-known as troublemaker blonde in Konoha. This blue eyed ninja has failed three times at his academy graduation exam. But he showed marvelous improvement after he was graduated and took a part in his first chuunin exam. He failed at the exam but managed to reach the final part of the exam. After that he went traveling for almost three years. Because of his absent for a long time, his ability for ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu are remain unknown when this report is written.

Tsunade curled her lips a bit. So, even the other ninjas were agreed that Naruto was a very talented and full of surprise ninja but unfortunately a troublemaker. She looked at the pentagon shaped diagram. It wasn't filled by high or low triangles, just a blank pentagon with a big question mark on it. Just like Gaara of The Sand's before he participate his first chuunin exam. Then she noticed some pieces of paper that stuck out from the file.

"What's this" she took the papers and read one of them. Then she frowned. "These are participants' data like in this file, right? Why are these things separated from the file" she asked Shizune.

"Well, those ones have a little problem" Shizune explained rather nervously. She didn't want Tsunade to have another stress.

The kunoichi of the Legendary Three felt that this problem was no little. Usually, a shinobi that wasn't allowed to participate was an illegal shinobi or a missing nin. "Tell me, Shizune."

"Well, as you see, we saw no problem for the two shinobis of that team, but the last one… he isn't even a shinobi."

"Then don't let them participate to the exam! The basic requirement to participate to this exam is a full team of three genin level shinobi! What's so hard about ditching them"

"Uhm… we could easily ditch them like a… you can say trash, but this trash isn't an easily recyclable trash. It'll give a trouble sooner or later…" Shizune wondered why she could even stand at the tired and murderous glare Tsunade accidentally gave to her.

"And why is that"

"Because the troubled one is—"

A soft knock interrupted Shizune. Tsunade gave a nod as the knock continued.

"Come in" Shizune's voice came to permit the guest(s).

The door opened, revealing two adult men and one teenage boy. Tsunade immediately figured one of the men was the one in the separated paper. So these people were the rest of his team. Then she realized why Shizune called this matter was an easily recyclable trash when she saw the youngest of the three's face.

"You…"

"Good afternoon, Godaime no Hokage-sama. It's a pleasure to meet a beautiful lady like you" the young, red-haired teenager greeted her.

"Kinjiya Hayame, I see. Why very rich young lord like you come to this village? I can't see any reason that is good enough for you to endanger yourself" Tsunade replied bitterly.

Hayame grinned. "Well, as you see, I come here— and yeah, to endanger myself. It was so boring in the manor and I think I need 'some exercise'." Tsunade stared at the young teenage in front of her. Was this boy was so talented or so stupid?

"Do you know that chuunin exam has nothing that contains 'exercise' or something that will match your category" she asked just to be sure if this boy was an idiot or not.

"I know that. Chuunin exam is one of the most dangerous exams that ever held. This exam was firstly held at the Sunagakure (Sand Village) nearly fifty years before the first ninja world war. The exam is the greatest donor of genin victim. And it's said that—"

"Stopped it. I know that when I was much younger than you" Tsunade interrupted Hayame's useless rambling.

"Yes, ma'am. By the way, I come to your office to straighten a 'thing'" Hayame grinned as he noticed that Tsunade understood what he was meaning.

"Yeah, you can't buy a genin status, even with those moneys of yours." Tsunade's eyes loudly screamed: 'I'm not going to let you bribe me' and Hayame understood that.

"Well, that is expected from a stern lady like you. I figured I have been a good house-loving-rather-spoiled-boy but I'm honorable going-to-be man that won't buy such a high respected, warrior like status. So I decided to ask you for help."

"And what I can do to let you enter the exam legally without one or more illegal way" the Godaime asked as she narrowed her eyes in suspicion and a bit of wonder.

"Simple. Get a jounin or chuunin to test my skill. I'll suggest combat test will be the best. A combat always explain almost everything that a fighter has, correct"

Tsunade sighed. This clever young lord had checked a good point. Well, if only academy graduation's process was as simple as he said… "Fine. But don't hold a grudge against me if I get a very strong shinobi that may fail your instant test. And when you passed the test and chuunin exam, don't be a missing nin, please."

Hayame grinned. "Shall not. I don't like making enemies."

"You may leave."

Hayame smiled and nodded politely to her before leave with his other teammates. Shizune, who had been silent through the conversation, quickly spilled her thought excitedly.

"Tsunade-sama, this is a good opportunity, right? If a rich lord like him joins force with us—"

"It's not 'join force', Shizune. That boy is simply participates the exam for the sake of 'fun'. Someone like him won't be stupid enough to hurt himself" the Godaime said bitterly as Shizune's head fell from disappointment.

"So, who is the one that you'll send" the younger of the two asked.

"Gai will be enough for him."

"Huh? Won't it be too hard for Kinjiya-san"

"I want to watch him suffer. Either with Gai's scary self or his disappointment for cannot enter the exam" Tsunade smirked evily.

Shizune silenced for a moment.

"You are cruel."

The next day…

Tsunade was doing her paperwork when Gai, without warning, barged into her office, cheeks were wet because of tears.

"What-what is it, Gai" no need to tell that Tsunade was stuttering in surprise. She rarely encountered a crying Gai that slumped his head on her desk, sobbing. Well, except when it was something about his teacher-student relationship with Lee.

"That young man of Kinjiya" Gai managed to tell her between his sobs.

"Why? He defeated you" Tsunade inwardly hoped that her expectation was wrong.

Gai shook his head. A famous body language of 'no'.

"Then why"

For the first time since the bobbed-haired teacher barged in, he lifted his face to reveal his face. Surprisingly, his expression was a mix of happy and touched. That made Tsunade wondered if Hayame was a taijutsu only user that was similar like this man over here.

"He—! He praised me" he yelled with a more than happy voice. "He truly praised me! He is the second one after Lee! He said my taijutsu technique is cool! And my look — he said it's unique and artistic" Tsunade was about to ask about the test when he told her before she could. "And because of that, I decided that he passed the test before I could injure my second fan"

"Bootlicker." The angry hiss that was hissed from Tsunade's lips was clearly directed to Hayame. Luckily, Gai didn't hear her insulting his second fan or… I left that to your mind for imagine.

"Uhm… Gai, what did he say to you" Shizune asked.

"He said, 'Well, Mr. Gai, my first impression about you is that I have never met such a unique guy like you' that means he was amazed my rare looks and personality! And he said, 'You are very good at using your muscles than your brain, Gai' that means he praised my great taijutsu skill! I'm sooooo tooouuuccchhheeeeddd" Tsunade and Shizune wondered where the spotlight came from.

Shizune smiled nervously "Uuhh… I think—"

"I'm gonna tell this to my beloved student, Lee! See you later, Hokage-sama! Thank you so much for introduced me to such a nice boy" after that, he stormed out of the room.

"Sometimes, he just like a tornado" commented Tsunade slowly. Yup, come suddenly and cause as much disaster as possible but the next minute it left as if it's never been there. "And rather than tell, I choose to call it 'brag'. But I think Lee won't mind it."

Shizune nodded. "But I think that the meaning of 'I have never met such a unique guy like you' is the polite version of 'you are the weirdest person I've ever met' and the meaning of 'You are very good at using your muscles than your brain' is the longer version of 'you are a brainless man'." Shizune told Tsunade her thought.

Tsunade eyed her. "Don't say that in front of him. It'll cause a fatal mental break."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama. I'll remember it forever."

Tsunade sighed as she sank to her chair. "I should have send Kakashi. At least he isn't a sensitive person in praise…"

"Yeah, but if he discovered that the copy ninja will dedicate his life for the sake of the newest book of 'Icha Icha' series— Icha Icha Tactics, well you know how rich Kinjiya-san is. One book shouldn't be a problem for him."

"But I think Kakashi isn't a person that is easily bribed like that…"

A soft, lazy knock prevented Shizune to say whatever she wanted to say… again.

"Come in" she again permitted whoever has the business with the Hokage.

"Hokage-sama, are you calling me" asked a boy with a lazy tone.

"Ah, I almost forgot that you'll come here. So, how's your task? Do you find something good" asked Tsunade.

The boy nodded his head. "It's quite a nuisance to do it. But finally I managed to find something."

"And what's that" she asked eagerly. She really was bored with the same thing over and over. So she decided to have some change.

The boy threw a scroll from his pocket and the scroll fell directly on Tsunade's desk. It seemed that recently this desk was the dead things favorite landing place. "I wrote all of it in that scroll. It seemed that my laziness decreased a bit when I wrote that." He stopped to yawn. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll take a long nap. I had been receiving no sleep in three days when I wrote that. I must save my energy by the way…"

Before the boy could exit the room, Tsunade called him. "Remember! Don't be late"

"Roger."

Tsunade opened the scroll once the door closed. Her eyes skimmed it for a moment before a satisfied smile crept to her lips. "Brilliant, Shikamaru."

Ended on: February 7th 2005

**A/N: Be sure you'll read the next and review this chap. I won't beg you anymore. I lost the hope of getting many reviews from you. But I won't stop reminding you. **


	10. Scroll 9: The First Phase of Chuunin Exa...

**:0:Hidden Spirits: Village Hunting Side Effect:0:**

**A Naruto Fan-fiction - Sequel from 'Hidden Spirits'**

**By: Climax**

**Disclaimer for ALL chapters: Do not and never own Naruto. Except this story plot, idea, and my own characters I create on this story.

* * *

**

Scroll 9: The First Phase of Chuunin Exam! The Battle of Cook!

* * *

"YEAH! THIS DAY IS THE BEST!" yelled a blonde ninja. It didn't take a long time for him to receive some hissing sounds which ordered him to quiet, reminding him that he was still in a hospital and hospital needs silence. 

His just (yesterday) recovered body didn't prevent Sakura from smacked his head as hard as possible.

"Ouch! Sakura, can you please be gentle to my _fragile_ body?" whined him.

Sakura gave him a deadly glare. "JUST **which** part of your body that is fragile? I doubt it's the head."

":cough: Can you two please be silent? Other patients need that…" came a manly voice from behind them.

Sakura immediately turned to her sweet stance. "Oh, I'm apologized for my and especially my friend's behavior. He has just released from his 'caged' state so he is overreacting."

The doctor laughed slightly. "Don't worry about that. I know what it feels like when you are hospitalized. But ironically I ended up being the one who works in this place. Say, why don't you two come to my office and have some tea? My regular patient hasn't been around yet so I feel a bit uncomfortable having tea without anybody around."

Naruto grinned. "Well I'm sorry, but we have to train ourselves because the chuunin exam is going to be held two days from now. So we—" before the blonde could finish his sentence, everybody could hear something growled. The doctor smiled with amusement.

"If I'm not mistaken, that growl came from that hungry stomach of yours." Naruto smiled sheepishly and Sakura could only sigh: "A ninja should not be easily read."

"Ah! There you are!" came a familiar voice of an archer.

"Oh, the plain paper. What is your business?" asked Naruto colder than he intended to.

"Why are you sounding like I'm your foe? I just come here to company Mayu. She said she wanted to see you but we didn't find you in your room so we've been looking for you." Just as the archer finished his talk an orange hairy thing came out from his behind.

"Naruto nii-san! Are you okay? Are you hurt?" the girl called Mayu immediately blabbering like an older sister who concerned his little brother state.

Naruto gave the girl a grin that would settle even Konohamaru's worrying state. "I'm okay and I was hurt."

"That's our Naruto nii-san! I've been planning to teach you about how to cook when you are recovered! Your cooking skill is rated 1 of 100! What if you were in a forest and there were nothing like restaurants? You are a ninja and cooking skill is very important for your body health! And before you say it, I receive to refusal!" with that, she took Naruto's arm and drag him out of the hospital. The remaining three could heard Naruto's yell of disagree became more faint and faint and finally missing.

"Wow, that loudmouthed ninja sure has got a rival." The doctor said in an amazed tone.

"Nah, Mayu always like that, more than lusting to share her incredible cooking abilities. Well, it's more likely she wants to be a superior in something," said Rhaera.

"I know that feeling. So, are you going to have tea with me but without that blonde?" the doctor asked to Sakura.

Sakura seemed unsure. "Well…"

"We don't need that. Mayu will come and drag us any minute—no, any second now," the green haired archer interrupted Sakura.

"Rhaera nii-san! Let's go and cooking together with your other teammate!" Mayu's voice came as soon as Rhaera stopped talking. Sakura and the doctor sweat-dropped.

Rhaera made a 'see-what-I-mean' face and sighed.

"Speaking of the demon…"

* * *

It was quite a sunny day despite the gloomy mood of the participants of the chuunin exam. Especially team seven's. Mayu had taught—no, tortured them in Naruto's small kitchen (well, if it was REALLY a kitchen) for two days. They had met the other teams like Kiba's team, Neji's team, and the Ino's team. But those teams didn't get a success to cheer them. 

"I.won't.see.ANY.kitchen.utensils.anymore," Sakura swore and the other boys silently copying her. They laid their head on the table of the exam's waiting room. Anyone who was stupid enough to command them to cook would end as a horrible corpse for sure. Oh, but at least, no cooking in a ninja styled exam, not in Konoha, not in other place and time as well.

But they were wrong.

Shikamaru, with his usual lazy expression (which made the participants who didn't know him unsure if he was the examiner, as well shocked the ones who know him VERY well of HOW could he participate such a troublesome job of examiner) stood lazily in front of the genins, and talked as lazily as a human could. I doubt he was even a human. A cat would suit him the best. Lazy and sleepy, but when he was needed, he was so fast.

":cough: I believe all of you want to do this exam as fast as possible. But before that I need your cooperation to be silent or I won't start the exam."

Immediately the room became silent on Shikamaru's words. Despite his laziness and doubtful appearance, Shikamaru still got quite a charisma of a chuunin. Well, if Naruto was not mistaken.

Once the room was silent, Shikamaru continued. "As you can see, I'm your first examiner. The name is Nara Shikamaru. Well, there is no need for a proper introduction and talks. I'll be as direct as possible. The first test of the chuunin exam is…"

Everybody gulped. Was it a paper test? Was it a battle test? Was it a survival test? But none of those expectations were near enough to the truth.

"…cooking test!"

Everybody fell to a completely muted state. The team seven's hands that had been laid on the table were beginning to form a crack on the table part where their palms on. And that cracking sound was the only sound that was produced on the silence.

Sakura became aggressive — a lot more aggressive than she ever had. She lifted the heavy and big table with ease and threw it to the shadow user as strongly as she could.

"DON'T JOKING AROUND!" she yelled. Shikamaru didn't dodge the flying table. The shadow did the destruction for him. The table broke into pieces, showed how powerful Shikamaru was as a chuunin.

"I'm not joking around. By the way, whatever things or curses you throw to me won't change the fact that the Godaime no Hokage has agreed." To proof his words, he showed a paper with writings on it and the Hokage's seal was on its bottom right.

"Give me that!" shouted Naruto as he sprinted towards Shikamaru. Shikamaru dodged the tackle attack.

Shikamaru clicked his tounge. "Don't waste your energy. Even if you destroyed this one, I still have ten more on the Hokage's secret place."

"Then come here and let me kill you! And why the heck we should have a cooking test?" shouted the blonde ninja furiously.

"Sorry, I can't do that. Even this life is so troublesome I still respect my life. To answer your question, Tsunade and I decided that cooking is a skill that is so important but it's rare to find a ninja with a great cooking skill. And another thing, if you kill an examiner, you are banned from any ninja exams forever. Remember that," Shikamaru said as he shoved the paper to his pocket.

"I never heard that kind of rule!" yelled Naruto.

"Well, you did — just now."

"Well, why don't we settle this quickly? Cooking is fun anyway…" every heads on the room turned to the speaker who was brave (or foolish) enough to say 'cooking is fun'. It was a red haired boy we know as Kinjiya Hayame.

"What?" Hayame asked innocently — unaware of the bloodlust glare that other participants gave to him.

"Nothing."

They lied, of course.

* * *

"Hey you two come here and see this," said Sakura. Naruto jumped down from a tall tree's branch and landed right beside Sakura. Meanwhile Rhaera appeared from nowhere. 

"What are these, Sakura-chan? I mean, why are you calling us? They're just mere mushrooms, right?" asked Naruto.

Rhaera sniffed the smell and smirked evilly. "I got what you are meaning, Sakura. And that's a brilliant idea."

As always, Naruto didn't get what his two teammates said. "I don't get it! Tell me!"

"You are totally clueless, are you? Don't you find that these mushrooms are familiar?" asked Rhaera.

Naruto's brows furrowed in thought. Yes, they did look similar. But when did he see them?

"Do you remember when we were searching for food in the forest with Mayu?" Sakura tried to remind his slow brain.

_"Don't take that! That kind of mushroom is dangerous!"_

Naruto remembered what Mayu said. "Ah, I remember that. Sakura, are you intended to insert that mushroom to our going to be cooked food?"

Sakura smiled proudly. "What could be better? Shikamaru said that we can obtain cooking materials from this forest and he is going to be the one who taste the food, right?"

"I doubt it's only us that intended to poison him…" said Naruto.

"Yeah, that's it! Naruto, you are brilliant!"

Naruto blinked, totally confused by Sakura's exclamation. "Huh?"

"The real purpose of this test! To poison without known!"

"I… don't… get it…" Naruto tried his best to think.

"Do you think WHY Shikamaru make us want to poison him? A lazy ninja like him won't endanger himself unless he need to! Don't you see that there are medic ninjas accompanying him?" said Sakura excitedly.

"Uh…" Naruto still didn't understand.

"In another word, to win we MUST poison him without he or another medic ninja realized that we poison him until he exclaimed our triumph. Sounds simple but complicated, isn't it?" explained Rhaera.

Naruto nodded in understanding. "Ohh… I get it. Why don't you explain in a simpler sentence, Sakura?"

"I already had, but I assume simple for average people is complicated for you," said Sakura tiredly.

"So? What should we do? We know that Shikamaru isn't stupid and he isn't Chouji, he cannot hold a large number of foods not to mention their poison…" asked Rhaera.

"I get it. That means we should make him sure enough to eat our food and fast enough to cook it before he's full. But how can we cook something that's fast to serve but also can insert something that's slow recognized as a poison?" Naruto tried to think. But apparently cooking and poisoning weren't his area of expertise. "GGAAAHH! I don't know!" he scratched his head with frustration.

"What do you think, Sakura?" asked Rhaera calmly.

Sakura snickered. "Hmph. You guys really don't get it, do you?"

Naruto and Rhaera dumbfounded. "Huh?"

"This is…" Sakura took out a foldable fan from nowhere and posing a samurai like pose before shouting, "THE ART OF CULINARY!"

Naruto almost swear that he did see a Sakura (cherry) tree blossoming in the background behind Sakura with the petals flew around by wind. Meanwhile Rhaera was thinking that he got flu so his nose was not working well since this was autumn and there was NO WAY that he could smell a cherry blossom smell in AUTUMN.

"I think the second Mayu has born," said Rhaera.

"Yeah," answered Naruto as he continued to watch Sakura dancing in a sea of cherry petals.

World was crazy, wasn't it?

* * *

Meanwhile, in another part of the forest… 

Itachi displayed a blue colored lizard in his hand to Hayame. "How about this? Its liver is delicious if you fry it and it contains some essences that will make the one who eat it suffer from a horrible symptoms that includes pain like your body is stabbed, some 'strange things' appear on your skin, hallucination, then—"

"NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT! It's too horrible!" shrieked Hayame in fear. He did sound like a girl.

"Then how about this one?" asked Kisame, threw a man sized squid in front of Hayame. "Squid is a popular food in Kirigakure. But when they reached this size they are poisonous. They will cause a drowning like symptoms, blindness, and smarting eyes."

"The symptoms are okay, but… NO! SEARCH ANOTHER ONE!"

"Why!" asked a patience losing Kisame.

"Its eyes, its tentacles… they are disgusting! No one would want to eat it!"

"Come on, boy! Our jury is a shinobi, not a chef! He won't be picky about what our food materials from!" said Kisame furiously.

Hayame wasn't loose yet. "But lords are! What if you wanted to poison your target that is a lord? What's the use of the poison if the target didn't even eat the food?"

"You are too picky," commented Itachi coldly like a mother scolding her child for not eating carrots.

"Hey! In the rich men community, I'm in the 'least-picky' category! You should meet one the lords of Water country! He didn't like meat because he feels that he is eating a corpse when he consumes it!" said Hayame.

"Now you destroyed our appetite," said Kisame with many hints of resentfulness in his voice.

"Whatever. You shinobis aren't got a good taste of food anyway. Let's find another material."

A few minutes later…

"How about this one?" asked Itachi, handing a cauliflower. "This may not poisonous but if we mixture it with some special ingredients it will cause a great and awful stomachache."

"Hmm…" Hayame looked thoughtful. For a moment, Itachi and Kisame's hope were raised. It wasn't hurt to hope or maybe yes, but… they have given up on hoping a long time ago and so be it — in this case and forever.

"No."

"Now what?" Kisame almost whined.

"I hate cauliflowers." Hayame said simply.

Itachi and Kisame eyed him. "Now that is picky," said Itachi.

Hayame ignored him and gave his reason. "They look mossy and I hate moss. I feel like I'm eating moss when I eat it. That's a real disgusting taste and feeling."

"COME ON, it's not you who's going to eat it!" said Kisame, almost screamed.

"I hate moss, I hate looking at it, I hate smelling it, I hate eating it, I hate TOUCHING it," Hayame stated as if he was saying: "no negotiation after this".

Finally, Kisame reached his limit.

"Let me grill him." He said as he rolled up his sleeves and prepared his beloved Samehada.

Itachi put his hand on the shark-man's shoulder. "Don't. We are not ordered to and he isn't a fish."

Kisame gave up. He knew better than to mess with an Uchiha Itachi. "How come we stuck with this boy in the first place anyway?" now he really whined.

Itachi shrugged. "I don't know. A destiny maybe?"

"Needs a very big and powerful destiny maker to perform this miraculous meeting…"

"You can say that again…"

* * *

Ended on: February 21st 2005

**R and R, PLEASE!**


	11. Scroll 10: The Expectation of Evil

**:0:Hidden Spirits: Village Hunting & Side Effect:0:**

**A Naruto Fan-fiction Sequel from 'Hidden Spirits'**

**By: Climax**

**Disclaimer for ALL chapters: Do not and never own Naruto. Except this story plot, idea, and my own characters I create on this story.**

Scroll 10: The Expectation of Evil

It was a dark forest. So dark until you can't see your fingers. Two people were speaking as if they had made the darkness their friend.

"You are taking so long. Why do you want us to wait the chuunin exam?" came a woman voice.

"Well," the other — this time a man, said, "actually I want to start it now."

"Why not? Don't screw around, I have enough screwing."

"Let's wait till he is alone…"

"My, my, don't want to attract attention, do we?"

"Shut up and wait."

"WHAT KIND OF FOOD IS THIS? YOU DON'T EXPECT A HUMAN WILL EAT THIS, DO YOU?"

And another plate was thrown.

This kind of situation had been repeated over and over in a short time of fifteen minutes. As Tsunade and Shikamaru expected, it was rare to have a shinobi with good cooking skill. Of course, mainly shinobis were thinking that this kind of skill was completely useless in battle. But that was **in battle**. And this situation was no battle that includes kunai, shuriken, or another weapons. This situation needed a good cooking skill plus poisoning skill.

And so, another one came…

"IDIOT! DON'T INSERT A SOLDIER PILL IN THE FOOD! IT'LL CAUSE A STOMACHACHE IF THE PILL MIXED WITH SOME FOOD ESSENCES THAT WON'T GO WELL WITH IT!"

…and another one thrown…

"What's this?"

For the first time, Shikamaru wasn't shouting. He stared at the weird food but somewhat pleasant smelling in front of him. The room immediately became silence as the maker of the food answered Shikamaru's question.

"It's snake. You've never seen it?" he said coldly.

"Not in this state. I pity it." Shikamaru said mockingly.

"I made this for you to eat and judge it. Not to pity it," said the maker.

"Fine. I'll eat it." Shikamaru shoved a fork of snake meat to his mouth. Everybody watched what was going to be his reaction.

"MY GOODNESS! SO DELICIOUS! THE MEAT IS VEEERRRRYYY SOFT!" sparks could be seen around him. It shocked everybody, including the ones that know that Shikamaru was the type of human that was too lazy to scream.

"I began to wonder if we can pass this test…" said Sakura as she watched how Shikamaru seemed to enjoy himself, both scolding and eating. She didn't notice that Naruto was holding his urge to pee until the blonde said it.

"Sakura, I'm going to the toilet! I'll be right back! I promise!"

"W-wait! NARUTO!" Too late. The blonde was out of the room.

"Hey, that's the fox kid," said a woman in black coat with red clouds excitedly.

His companion, a man, snickered. "Come on, stop joking. I know you are desperate to kidnap him and finished our job as fast as possible."

"I'm serious and you are not an idiot." She stopped for a moment. "Or are you?"

"You should wonder of how I could become an Akatsuki member if I were an idiot," said the man a little bit proudly.

"Whatever…"

"Aaah… how relieving…" said Naruto as he took a sit beside Sakura, "Is Shikamaru already tasted our food?" he asked.

Sakura, who had been grinning proudly, sighed, "You missed a veeerrrrryyy interesting moment, Naruto. You should see his face. How joyful it was to see it…"

Rhaera stared at her. "You are a sick minded bitch…"

Sakura, too happy to be angry, claimed, "And I'm proud of that."

The rest of the tests seemed ridiculous. After cooking test, here it was: battle strategy. Luckily the examiner wasn't Shikamaru. He may look lazy and idiot, but you can't underestimate his intelligence. Even a jounin like Asuma can't beat him (in chess of course). They barely survived the 'you must use your mind to pass this test' from the examiner from the… sand. He learned not to make a person from sand angry, knowing who the new Kazekage was. Too bad the panda eyed Kazekage was not here.

The third and the last (and FINALLY a straight looking test) was the one versus one battle. Wait, I took back my words. Team versus team battle, with no rules except don't kill and… you can't touch your opponents with or without weapon (you did it and your team lost). The thing they can rely on was their long ranged jutsu. And Rhaera was totally helpless since he only master taijutsu and archery skill. But the battle went out of control when they discovered something…

"You are not Naruto, are you?" asked the opponent.

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Naruto innocently.

"The real Naruto, never has that killing aura you wear. Who are you?"

Naruto chuckled evilly. Now everybody went tense. Something was not right.

"Hmph, as you can expect from an Uchiha. You got good sight." Before anybody could register another shock the fake Naruto gave, the imposter's body exploded back into its original form. The imposter wasn't an Akatsuki member like everybody expected. It was a man with strange clothes. He wore a pair of light blue pleated pants, worn over a dark blue kimono (in short, the clothes called hakama). Of course, the so-called Hakama was never seen in Naruto world so it was foreign in their eyes.

The man tossed his long and dark grey hair cockily. "I don't know if ninjas are so dumb. Didn't notice how the precious Kyuubi was stolen under their nose."

Sakura went furious. "What? Aren't you a ninja too?" she actually very curious about the Kyuubi thing, but she restrained herself from asking for now.

The man chuckled. His brilliant red eyes were looking at Sakura with amusement. "You are a cute girl. But too bad, I'm not a ninja."

"EEHH? So you are an alien?" screamed Sakura with a clear sarcastic tone.

"He is an onmyouji."

Everybody turned to look to the speaker. It was Rhaera.

"A— what?"

"Onmyouji, a person who's training the art of nature and soul, a quack for the rude word," Rhaera explained plainly.

The man chuckled again. "You are right. But how do you know? No mere person could judge me as an onmyouji."

"It's easy. You bring a soul and that soul has been trying to possess me. Too bad for her, I'm an onmyouji too," said Rhaera as he pulled something from his pocket and threw it to his side. There was a yelp then a crash. Everybody turned to see what the cause was. It was a small girl with glowing body. Akaki.

"Ouucchh… it hurts… please take this charm off…" she pleaded. It was clear now of what Rhaera threw. A paper charm. And that charm was stuck on Akaki's forehead.

"I will. But mind if you tell me why you with this guy?" asked Rhaera. Everybody was too stunned to see a 'weird-glowing-girl-that-suddenly-appeared' to take a move.

Akaki began to sob. "He-he-heeee… HE KIDNAPPED ARSUNTA NEE-CHAN! WAAAAHHHH!" and she exploded to a loud crybaby. Everybody almost pitied her, almost because she was a weird living or not thing.

"And he threatened you?" asked Rhaera coldly.

She nodded and cried louder.

"Stop crying. There's no balloon here," said a very annoyed Sasuke coldly.

Akaki immediately stopped crying. She turned to face Sasuke (who didn't bother to cover his identity anymore) with a sour look on her face. "Shut up you little brat. Who do you think you are talking to?" she immediately sounded like an old hag in a sweet child voice.

"A big crybaby kid." Sasuke answered coldly.

Akaki pouted. "Why you— I'M NOT CRYBABY! AND I'M NOT A KID! I'M EIGHTY YEARS OLD!"

Now that was a shock.

Sasuke stared at her as if she had grown fifty legs. "You? Eighty?"

"Yes! Quite young am I?" she asked proudly.

The man tried his best to not to laugh while explaining, "In our terms, an eighty years old soul is equal to an eight years old kid."

"You don't have to explain that," hissed Akaki.

"Well then, the four Akatsuki members here, if you want any aid from us you are more than welcome to contact us," he said as he vanished in a ray of light.

"WAIT! What's with that anticlimactic departure of yours!" Sakura shouted.

"No. our trouble began here."

**This is the last chapter of this story. I'm sorry for those who read this till the end. I have to do this again. There will be an AU after this with 'The Reason to Fight' title. It's the sequel. Thank you for the ones who kindly review me.**


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